Slide & Steel Guitars at Centrum

One of the Masters: Slide Legend Bobby Black

It was nearly fifty years ago that my parents presented me with my first guitar, a six-string Rickenbacker," Bobby Black says.

In the years since, Bobby, one of the true legends of the slide guitar, has played with such groups as the Eagles, the Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, and such performers as Elton John, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, and John Lennon. In 1970, Black joined Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen and toured every state in the union.

In 2006, Bobby Black helped inaugurate the first annual Port Townsend Slide and Steel Festival. Again in 2007, Bobby will be part of the Festival faculty, passing on the stories, skills, and techniques learned from a half-century on the road in small, intimate workshops for those who want a one-on-one experience with one of the rare masters of the slide guitar.

On Wednesday, June 27, at 8 pm Bobby leads a country dance together with Wylie Gustafson, the Yahoo! yodeler. On Saturday, June 30, at 1:30 pm, Bobby will give a massive mainstage performance at Fort Worden's McCurdy Pavilion.  

"I've hung up my traveling shoes but never stopped playing," Bobby says.

East, West: The Resophonic Artistry of Billy Cardine

Billy Cardine's artistry on the slide is best experienced by clicking here; or here; or here. These songs are from his solo album Organically Grown. At the time of the recording he was living in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, playing a lot of bluegrass and old-time music.

"The title," Cardine explains, "came from the rubber band that I was using at the time to help me hold on to the slide. I always got the rubber band from broccoli, always bought organic produce...I also thought the title gave a nod to the spirit of the project, being that it's a lot of original material, and was produced in a very organic way (philosophically, anyways). I built a solar panel powered laptop recording system that fit in my hiking pack and used it quite a bit on this project."

Cardine, who studies with India's legendary slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya, combines both eastern and western influences in his playing. He currently tours with the Biscuit Burners, the widely popular up-and-coming bluegrass band.

Takin' Care of Business

Joe Wright rocks the electric slide! You owe it to yourself to see these videos: in the first, Wright rocks out "Takin' Care of Business;" in the second the inimitable star leads with a joke about the "other" woman from "The House of the Rising Sun" and smooths into some nice steel playing. Wright will be hanging out June 24 - July 1 at the Port Townsend Slide and Steel Festival: teaching, jamming, and performing.