I'm a session Steel Guitarist with over 40 years experience ready to provide superior quality backup, leads, and fills for your songs. Commercial quality tracks. Quick response. Fast turnaround. Unlimited revisions. I provide multiple takes for each track at no extra charge. 1000's of studio hours recorded & produced over 15 albums.
Previous live venues, studio recording sessions, & collaborations:
1) Grammy Awardee Jaymes Felix (Psalms 150, Andrae Crouch & The Disciples, Tower Of Power, Bryan Duncan)
2) Canadian Country Star Lucie Marotte
3) House Of Blues
4) Scottys Steel Guitar Convention
5) Southwest Steel Guitar Show AZ
6) Gateway Christian Fellowship
7) Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame Member Maurice Anderson
8) Dewitt Scott (Scotty), International Steel Guitar Convention
and more...
Known for my versatility in various music genres, from Country, Southern Gospel, Smooth Jazz, Rock, and Blues.
What do some of the industry's best have to say?
"Great steel playing and session artist" Jaymes Felix
"Ron's playing and skills is second to none. Always great to have Ron attending and participating at the International Steel Guitar Convention". Dewitt Scott (Scotty). Founder of the St. Louis Steel Guitar Convention and Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame member, and Ambassador of the Steel Guitar.
"Great to have Ron playing on my recordings. His style & tone fits right in with my songs" Lucie Marotte, Canadian country music star.
"Great tone and style". Maurice (Reece) Anderson, Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame member and creator of the MSA Steel Guitar. Recorded with me on my Progressive Ron & Reece steel guitar album.
Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Credits
28 Reviews
Endorse Ron Turner
check_circleVerifiedRon's main focus for my project was making sure I had all that I needed before completing the job. He was very professional and was very keen on understanding the emotion and vibe of the song so that he could deliver exactly what I needed. I would very much recommend working with him.
check_circleVerifiedRon worked hard to get the right sound for a difficult song. Very nice guy and wants you to be happy with the results.
check_circleVerified (Client)Another great experience working with Ron. Great songs, he tells me exactly what he is looking for (while still allowing me to have creative freedom to come up with my own ideas) and is always quick to respond. Ron is a great guy (and a superb steel player) and working with him is always so much fun.
check_circleVerified (Client)Always fun recording sax for Ron! Great tracks, smooth communication :-)
check_circleVerified (Client)Another fun project with Ron, this time he sent me a blues tune for me to add on a rhythm guitar part and a solo. As always, Ron clearly explained everything that he wanted, making it such an easy and enjoyable project to work on. Thanks Ron.
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It was great to see another job request in my inbox from Ron as I always know it will be a lot of fun working with him. Professional as always, thanks Ron!
check_circleVerifiedThank you ..
Ron you gave my song the right color with your amazing talent on steel guitar ...your work is top quality...bravo- check_circleVerified (Client)
I have been fortunate enough to play on quite a number of Ron’s tracks now and he will always give me the guidance of what he needs for each song with detailed chord charts, whilst giving me the freedom to add my own musical ideas. He’s a wonderful steel player himself and it has been so much fun to add my guitar to all of his great compositions.
- check_circleVerified (Client)
When you receive a notification that Ron wants to work with you, then you know it’s going to be a good session! As always, great communication, good song writing and his wonderful steel playing - you can’t ask for any more.
check_circleVerified (Client)Great music and communication! Would love working with him again!
- check_circleVerified (Client)
Once again, working with Ron has been an absolute breeze. I especially enjoyed the chords changes that he had written for this song and playing over them was a lot of fun - made easier by Ron providing me with a very accurate chord chart, like he always does. Fast and friendly communication too, I guarantee that you will enjoy working with Ron on any project.
- check_circleVerified (Client)
I was thrilled to work with Ron again, he is such a great talent - superb steel playing with very well-written songs. Communicates exactly what he wants and is always a pleasure to deal with.
check_circleVerified (Client)Great groove! Super nice player! I enjoyed playing the Hammond Organ for his project! He is talented and provides quick feedback.
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Another great session with Ron - he always communicates exactly what he wants and provides a detailed chord chart as well. I always enjoy playing on his tracks and his songs are always well-written and arranged. I very much look forward to working with him again soon.
check_circleVerified (Client)Great to work with Ron again. Another great track, always fun playing sax for Ron. Super clear instructions, highly recommended!
check_circleVerifiedRon is an incredibly nice guy and an extremely talented steel guitarist! I will not hesitate to collaborate with him again.
- check_circleVerified (Client)
Once again it has been a joy to work with Ron and I love playing on his songs. He’s a wonderful steel player and his communication has been excellent throughout. I really hope that I have the opportunity to work with him again in the future.
- check_circleVerified (Client)
Ron was fantastic to work with. His wonderful composition skills and stellar steel guitar playing meant that it was a joy for me to record on his track. He perfectly communicated what he wanted and he even sent me a chord chart to work with. I very much look forward to working with Ron again in the future.
- check_circleVerified (Client)
Once again a real pleasure playing sax for Ron. He writes great music that's well put together, and instructions are always clear and responses prompt. Looking forward to the next one!
- check_circleVerified (Client)
Ron is a truly wonderful musician! Excellent slide playing and production, and always fun to play sax over his tracks :-)
Interview with Ron Turner
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Many projects. My recent Big City country steel guitar album. Back up recording sessions with artist Lucie Marotte super star country singer in Canada. Also playing live with great gospel singers such as Tim Spell and Terry Gunn. Playing live and recording with Jaymes Felix former Tower Of Power and Andrea Crouch and The Disciples singer and bass player.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Smooth Jazz Steel Guitar Album. Will be released Oct 2021.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Billy Nobel, Ben Green, Hugo Lee.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. In today's world that is the easiest way to record and the cleanest sound.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Complete 100% satisfaction or your money back. I want my client to be happy and contact me every time they need a steel guitar for their backup. I provide extra tracks so the customer can have different choices of my steel playing to choose from.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Hearing new music from artists and recording my steel guitar to enhance their song. I also enjoy mixing and mastering my own music produstions.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Recording engineers ask what my recording software is and can I provide what they require so my track can be mixed properly. For live playing the artist may ask if I can play the same lines as the original artist recorded song so it sounds like the original.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: The band you play or sing with can make you sound great or not so great. So hire the best talent and experienced musicians that fit your style. Hire the best engineers who know how to mix and master.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My computer and steel guitars.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Smooth, complementing the vocal. Never over playing. The best musicians know when not to play. My style is smooth single note fills with some full chord backup. I sound best with medium to slow tempo country music, great with blues and jazz as well.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Any artist that needs a steel guitar to enhance their music.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Country, Southern Gospel, Blues, and Smooth Jazz.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Pedal steel intros, backup, fills and leads to your songs.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I work with studio engineers who send me their MP3 scratch track to record with typically emailed. Then I record my steel guitar track in WAV format at 48k sample rate minimum. I will send the engineer or customer a dry clean track of my steel so they can mix and master accordingly.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use Presonus Studio One 5 software for recording, mixing, and mastering. Several effects for my steel guitar include Key 9, Synth 9, harmonizer, resonator, and distortion pedal. I have two pre-amps for recording, one for left and one for right inputs. This gives my steel guitar a deep and clear mix.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: As a musician don't over play your instrument. Keep it simple, clean, and polished to enhance the lead artist.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Paul Franklin, Joe Wright, Buddy Emmons, Terry Stewart, Jaymes Felix
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That the steel guitar is a country only instrument. The steel guitar can and has been played in practically every genre of music and depending on the player can sound awesome on almost any style of music.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What style of the steel sound are you looking for? Typically I'll ask what famous artist do they prefer the sound of the backup steel guitar on. This allows me to understand the style they prefer.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I have been playing pedal steel for over 40 years. Very specialty instrument so not many teachers out here in Southern California. I started out learning mostly on my own and playing Southern Gospel at church. As time went on I discovered the big Nashville players who played Scotty's Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis every year. I became friends with Scotty and many Country Artist pro musicians and was honored to play with them and even record with some.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Pedal Steel. Over 40 years experience.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Live venues and studio recording sessions
I was the Recording Artist & Producer in this production
- Pedal SteelAverage price - $70 per song
I respond quickly and my prices are negotiable. I believe in complete customer satisfaction.
- Sierra & MSA Steel Guitars with custom George L pickups (superior tone quality)
- Fishman Tone DEQ
- Peavey Amp
- Presonus Studio One 5 Software
