We carefully loaded the Grand Letar in one of our vehicles. Peterson's chief technician and restorer of the Grand letar, Susan Haslam, was at hand to service the instrument throughout the show.
Then we headed to St. Louis, Missouri, to show the National Grand Letar exactly 70 years after its last showing in New York in 1938, this time at the 2008 International Steel Guitar Convention.
The steel guitar community recognized this instrument as being unique and Letritia Kandle's contribution to steel guitar as being akin to the missing link in the guitar's historical progression.
She basically invented the console steel guitar before Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker or anyone else saw the light.
We had many guests at the Peterson booth, among them was Dusty Nall, who played with the Louvin Brothers, Ernest Tubb, Slim Whitman and many more...
Texas Hall of Fame Steel Guitarist Herb Steiner (Ex Linda Ronstadt, Pleasant Valley Boys, Asleep at the Wheel, Johnny Bush and many more)...
L.T. Zinn (Ex Ernest Tubb, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, Faron Young, Patsy Cline, Randy Travis, 101 Ranch Boys)...
From Nashville, jazz saxophonist and ex Hank Williams Jr. sideman John Heinrich...
Pro-Audio maven and amplifier designer T.C. Furlong...
Bert Rivera (Ex Brazos Valley Boys & Hank Thompson)..
Mike Perlowin
Billy Phelps (ex Billy Crash Craddock, Kenny Price, Gene Watson, Crystal Gayle, Mel Street, Dave Dudley, Ray Price)...
Expert steel guitar engineer Dave Petersen was enthralled by the Grand Letar (he's built instruments for Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan)...
Billy Robinson played the Grand Letar as nobody else could, here he is with the man who uncovered the National Grand Letar after almost 60 years, Paul Warnik...
Even Beatle Bob was impressed...
We think Letritia would have been proud!