Pedal steel guitarist and composer Susan Alcorn passed away on January 31 in Baltimore, Maryland, due to natural causes.
Regarded as one of the foremost exponents of the pedal steel guitar, Alcorn revolutionized the instrument, taking it far beyond its traditional roots in country music. Born on April 4, 1953, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Alcorn began her musical journey at the age of 3 when she sat beneath her mother’s spinet piano and experimented with the foot pedals. Throughout her school years, she played various instruments, including the viola, cornet, and guitar. It wasn’t until she was 21 that she discovered the pedal steel guitar.
After honing her skills in Texas country and western bands, Alcorn pushed the boundaries of the pedal steel guitar by exploring 20th-century classical music, visionary jazz, and world music. Though she was well known for her solo work, Alcorn collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Pauline Oliveros, Eugene Chadbourne, Chris Cutler, the London Improvisors Orchestra, the Glasgow Improvisors Orchestra, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark, Nate Wooley, Ingrid Laubrock, Leila Bourdreuil, George Burt, Evan Parker, Caroline Kraabel, Michael Formanek, Catherine Sikora Mingus, Zane Campbell, and Mary Halvorson, to name just a few.
Alcorn’s remarkable contributions were recognized in 2016 when she was named Best Miscellaneous Instrumentalist in the DownBeat International Critics Poll. The following year, she received the prestigious Baker Artist Award, and in 2018, she and saxophonist Joe McPhee were honored with the Instant Award in Improvised Music.
Over the course of her career, Alcorn released more than a dozen highly regarded albums as a leader or co-leader, with her most recent project being Filament alongside Catherine Sikora.
In her own words, Alcorn described her approach to music: “I view the instrument I play, the pedal steel guitar, not as an object to be mastered, but as a partner with which to share with the listener a meaning, depth, and hopefully profound awareness of each fragile moment we’re together. It is this dynamic of which I try to be cognizant in both my writing and performance.”
Related Topics
- Steve Vai Discusses the Challenge of Playing Robert Fripp’s Guitar Parts and Shares Thoughts on Danny Carey
- PRS Unveils Charcoal Phoenix Limited Edition to Celebrate 40th Anniversary and Paul Reed Smith’s Birthday
- Gibson Teams Up with Brian May to Release Limited-Edition 12-String Acoustic Guitar
