Russ Pahl - steel guitar with Elton John, Leon Russel, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Carrie Underwood and dozens more

Count It Off Ep 40 : Russ Pahl - steel guitar master If you’ve listened to country radio anytime in the last 25 years, odds are you’ve heard the unmistakable shimmer of Russ Pahl’s steel guitar—whether you knew it or not. Nashville may be full of pickers, but Russ is the guy other players point to when they talk about tone, taste, and pure musical magic. Raised on the warm hum of the folk era, hooked by the British Invasion’s spark, and ultimately reeled in by the twangy, string-bending heroes of classic country, Russ followed a sonic trail that led straight to the steel guitar. And once he picked it up, the instrument—and the industry—were never quite the same. How influential is he? In one recent year, of the ten country songs that hit #1 and featured steel guitar, Russ played on eight of them. Eight! That’s not a résumé—that’s gravitational pull. He's played on records for everyone from Carrie Underwood to CeLo Green and with producers like Dan Auerbach and T-Bone Burnette. We talk about his approach to each project and you'll hear his respect for the pioneers of this truly quirky invention. So settle in and let’s talk with the man who made the steel guitar modern again: Nashville’s go-to string magician, Russ Pahl.