John Mayer will be seen as greater than only a modern-day guitar hero. In latest months, he’s showcased his skills as a de facto pedal reviewer, and now he may add guitar trainer to that listing, having come to the help of Doug Pettibone when he wanted to up his sport on the pedal steel.
The chameleon-like session participant, who got the Lucinda Williams gig after lending his musicianship to Tracy Chapman’s live band, has additionally recorded with Mark Knopfler, Marianne Faithfull, and a wealthy array of various artists throughout genres.
By the time producer Don Was and pedal steel participant Greg Leisz approached Pettibone with a view of hiring him for John Mayer’s Born and Raised tour in 2012, he was nicely versed within the country-coded instrument. But there have been nonetheless gaps in his talent set.
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“I could learn stuff off the record and could do more atmospheric playing, but I’d never really soloed too much,” he says in dialog with Guitar World. “I’m not really a traditional country player, and I’m not virtuosic by any means on pedal steel.
“But I can fake it,” he admits. “And at the time, we were rehearsing, and Chuck Leavell, the keyboard player, was taking solos, along with everyone else in the band. He goes, ‘Hey, Doug, why don’t you sit down at that steel, and let’s see what you got?’”
Pettibone’s response was, “Oh, shit.” Not eager to give up, he muddled his approach via a jam, however accepted his abilities have been “limited” of their scope. Cue Mayer, the trainer.
“He said, ‘I guess the only way you can get better is by playing more…’ After that, instead of firing me and getting somebody who could really play, he would throw me solos every night on the steel.”
It’s an admirable flip from Mayer, selecting to nurture Pettibone slightly than solid him apart in favor of a fast repair.
“That was when he had his sights set on that Grateful Dead thing [Dead & Company],” Pettibone provides. “We’d get messages every night, you know, emails, saying, ‘Okay, let’s work on this song tomorrow at soundcheck.’”
Mayer just lately mentioned the insecurities he faced in his early days in Dead & Company as he discovered to share phases with his hero, Bob Weir. But his getting his dream gig was maybe destiny. Like he confirmed persistence and care with Pettibone, Weir, in turn, “took a chance” on the guitarist, and collectively they shaped a stunning, cross-generational partnership.
Guitar World’s full interview with Pettibone might be revealed within the coming weeks.
