Steel Guitar in Australia by Jack Richards
Originally published in "Steel Guitar International" April 1983♫ Musical Career
I bought my first steel guitar in 1937 for $3.00, then a Dobro for about $20.00. I hated the Dobro, and in 1939 bought a new Rickenbacker with amplifier for about $115.00.
During this period I had some lessons from a local by the name of Roy Royston. The most important thing he did for me was to immediately teach me to read standard musical notation.
Records were available locally by such greats as Sol Hoopii, Dick McIntyre, Augie Goupil, Sam Koki and Alvino Rey to name some. But the man who inspired me most (and still does) was a Hawaiian named Andy Iona.
This was also the era of the Benny Goodman Sextet, which included Charlie Christian on Guitar. As some of these new sounds started to penetrate, I found that I could handle the Jazz feel capably on Steel, which opened up a vast new arena.
In 1941 I met a young Saxophone player named Dave Rutledge. We evolved a sound which was new. I would play three note chords on steel, and Dave would complete the harmony on the bottom of the chord on Tenor Sax. We were a little restricted because we could only use tunes which suited this voicing. I'm sure this restriction started me thinking along lines which lead me to being the first to play a Pedal Steel in Australia at the "Roosevelt Club" (an American Officer's Club) in Sydney in 1943.
In the early 1940's as people discovered that I could read music, I picked up bits of session work at various Radio Stations. Around 1944 Bandleader Leo White landed a series on Radio 2UW called "The Horlick's Show" which featured a 15 piece orchestra. Leo decided to use the Steel in a similar fashion to the Horace Heidt Band in the States which featured Alvino Rey.
I had to turn up for the job each week, and there and then read parts written by arrangers who knew nothing about the Steel.
In 1945 the same Band (reduced to 10 piece) was given the job at swanky "Princes" restaurant in Sydney, so I had a further two years, six nights each week playing this style. During this period I also became proficient on Guitar, which was gradually to take over as my main instrument as the popularity of the Steel Guitar went into decline.
When the "Princes" job folded up, I still did most of the Studio work in Sydney on Steel, which were mainly Hawaiian sessions with Johnny Wade on ABC Radio. These went on for many years.
However, from the 1960's onwards, my bread and butter has come from Guitar playing - doing an endless variety of work including Studio work of all kinds, Night Clubs, big Hotels, and various Theatre jobs. The Steel was usually used in a special bracket as a feature once or twice a night when the type of job allowed this.
I have also been active over many years as an arranger and teacher.
