Steel_Guitar_Rag
Steel Guitar Rag
1936 instrumental performed by Bob Wills
"Steel Guitar Rag" is the seminal Western swing instrumental credited with popularizing the steel guitar as an integral instrument in a Western band.[2][3][4]
Written by Leon McAuliffe, it was first recorded by Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys in 1936.[5][6] The song bears a striking resemblance to "Guitar Rag" recorded by guitarist Sylvester Weaver in 1927.,[7][8] although others have claimed stylistic similarities to a popular Hawaiian song, "On the Beach at Waikiki" (words, G.H. Stover; music, Henry Kailimai; arrangement, Sonny Cunha; 1915), which was widely performed on the vaudeville circuits in the U.S.[9][10][11] Many musicians and bands have recorded this instrumental over the years. A recent version was performed by Country Music Hall of Famer Jimmy Russell.