Man of guit-steel
Chalk that up to Brown’s innate humility, because little about the way this transplanted Texan works his ax is ordinary. For one thing, that ax itself — a double-necked combination of standard and steel guitar known as a guit-steel — is Brown’s creation, a hybrid that would flummox most rock hotshots. For another, his rapid-fire licks demonstrate that he’s taken the best elements of Bob Wills and Jimi Hendrix and brought them together in the service of honky-tonk, surf, and blues material.
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Brown’s virtuosity alone would be enough to make him a fascinating curiosity, but he’s also demonstrated a penchant for clever wordplay (some detractors would argue that it’s pseudo-clever wordplay) and blue-collar solidarity, always put across with a deadpan baritone. His batting average may have slipped a bit over the years, but any catalog that includes “My Baby Don’t Dance To Nothing But Ernest Tubb,” “My Wife Thinks You’re Dead,” and “Highway Patrol” (featured over the opening credits of Me, Myself & Irene) is worthy of mention alongside the unsung heroes of country music. •
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