Notes & Queries – December 2023

Q: In the words of the great Larry Cordle song, “Black Diamond Strings,” he says, “Well Daddy showed me three chords, but Jimmy Steele taught me how to play, He showed me the G-run I’m still using today.” Who is/was Jimmy Steele? Ted O’Brien, Oswego, New York. A: We reached out to Larry Cordle, who offered this vivid remembrance: “Jimmy Steele was a neighbor of ours when I was a kid and a relative on my mom’s side of the family. He was more like my dad’s age and was just close to our family. He just had a wonderful touch on the guitar and he showed me how to play a lot of tunes early on. He showed me the kickoff to ‘Mule Skinner Blues’ and I recall how to play a solo he had come up with on ‘Steel Guitar Rag’ and several other things . . . Anything I asked about really. His G run was to die for and had many variations. They were always just so solid. I still try to play them the way he showed me, though they are never as good as his.  “I always