Don Helms

It was the beginning of a new era in American music...the transition from traditional "Hillbilly" music to "Country and Western" and the forerunner of Contemporary Country Music.  It was a period known as "The Golden Era of Country Music."

A major contributor to this important evolution in American music was steel guitar legend Don Helms.  Don's steel defined the rock-solid Country sound on hundreds of legendary recordings with great Artists like Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Loretta Lynn, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Johnny Cash, and Webb Pierce, in addition to countless other top names in Country Music from the 1940's to the present.

Born on a small farm in New Brockton, Alabama on February 28, 1927, Donald Hugh Helms was influenced by the prominent steel guitar style of "Take It Away, Leon" McAuliffe with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.  At 14, Don bought a Silvertone lapsteel and amp.  He soon found himself playing behind a young local radio personality named Hank Williams.  Together they performed in small clubs and schoolhouses until Don went into the service in 1945.  By the time Don was discharged in 1947, Hank had already signed on with Acuff-Rose Publishing and MGM Records, and was headed to Shreveport's "Louisiana Hayride."  Don was not ready to leave Alabama for Louisiana, but once Hank 'tore the roof off' the Grand Ole Opry with "Lovesick Blues" in 1949, Hank convinced Don to join him in Nashville, and together their sound made Country Music History.

Helms started his days with Hank playing a Fender eight-string doubleneck steel guitar.  In 1950, he did a little 'horse-trading' and ended up with the Gibson Console Grande (also an 8-string double neck) found on so many great hits from the 50's.  Don's tunings were (bass to treble):

        Outside neck -
            A C# E G# B C# E G#  -  Don calls this tuning an E6

        Inside neck -
            F# A B D# F# A C# E - Don calls this tuning a B13

Almost all of Don's classic leads were done on the E6.  He used the B13 primarily for fills.  The strength and confidence of his picking, along with the saturating sound of his 1949 Fender Pro amp caused many radio and jukebox speakers to resonate with what became known as that distinctive 'Helms sound.'  Hank's major hits "Cold, Cold Heart," "Why Don't You Love Me," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "I Can't Help It" (if I'm still in love with you) and a host of others are full of the rich, clearly identifiable sounds of Don Helms' steel.

Patsy Cline's original recording of "Walking After Midnight," Ernest Tubb's "Letters Have No Arms," Loretta Lynn's "Success" and Stonewall Jackson's "Waterloo" are other examples of recordings highlighting Don's unique stylings.  Since his Hank Williams days, Don has worked in numerous bands with stars such as Ray Price, Ferlin Husky, Wilburn Brothers, Cal Smith, and Hank Williams, Jr.  In 1977, he and Jerry Rivers re-established the Drifting Cowboys Band.  Since October 1989, Don also has played behind Hank's daughter, Jett Williams.

Don sometimes uses a 10-string double neck Derby pedal steel, but his sound and touch remain unmistakable.  He still picks his Gibson Console Grande on most occasions.  In preparation for a 1997 TV show, Alan Jackson borrowed Don's famous Gibson for a special segment on Hank's music.  After Alan returned the guitar with a generous gratuity, Don quipped, "I think I'll retire and book my steel on the road."

But, retirement is not yet on Don's mind.  Despite a 1997 lawnmower accident that cut 1/4 inch off his right index finger, Don continues to play as well as ever.  In 2002 Uncle Don performed at the New Orleans Jazz Festival; toured with the Jim & Jesse Bluegrass Show; recorded with popular actor Billy Bob Thorton, and Texas Swing king Johnny Bush; filmed a segment for a documentary with the BBC; worked on concert with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra; and played at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

With a warm personality and wonderful sense of humor, Don is a walking textbook on the history of the "Golden Era of Country Music" and the "Nashville Sound."

He has received many special recognitions, including induction into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1984.  He and his wife, Hazel, still live near Nashville, as they have since the days of Hank Williams.

Now that Don has played into the twenty-first century, he can boast of having recorded and performed in 7 decades, 2 centuries, and 2 millennia.  His legacy in pioneering and defining the steel guitar is timeless...Don Helms is truly a Country Music pioneer and unique stylist whose contributions to the Music world will be cherished, admired, and imitated for generations to come.