Steel Guitar Player Robby Turner, Known as ‘Man of Steel,’ Dies at 63

Accomplished alloy guitar subordinate and shaper Robby Turner, who has played with artists including Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, The Highwaymen and Chris Stapleton, died Thursday, Sept. 4, astatine property 63.

Turner’s lad Bobby Turner confirmed the passing of his begetter connected societal media, writing, “We’re sad, but we cognize he’s walking without immoderate help, and he’s nary longer successful pain.”

Known arsenic the “Man of Steel,” Turner played connected projects including the 1976 medium Wanted! The Outlaws, from Jennings, Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser, which spawned the Jennings/Nelson deed “Good Hearted Woman” and became the archetypal state medium to go certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Turner besides recorded and toured with state supergroup The Highwaymen (Jennings, Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash) and contributed to the group’s 1990 task The Highwayman 2 and their 1995 medium The Road Goes On Forever. He contributed to respective of Jennings’ albums and became the Country Music Hall of Famer’s superior alloy guitar subordinate until Jennings’ decease successful 2002.

In 2019, Turner was honored arsenic portion of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Nashville Cats series. During his interrogation for the series, helium said of moving with Jennings, “Waylon ne'er truly told america what to do…we conscionable played until helium smiled.”

Turner contributed to albums by Tanya Tucker, Randy Travis, John Prine, Marty Stuart, Jim Lauderdale, Loretta Lynn, Travis Tritt, The Oak Ridge Boys, and much recently, projects from Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson and Colter Wall, playing connected Stapleton’s CMA Awards medium of the year-winning projects Traveller and From A Room: Volume 1, Simpson’s High Top Mountain, and Wall’s self-titled album. He besides performed with artists including Johnny Paycheck and The Chicks.

Turner was surrounded by euphony from an aboriginal age; his parents Doyle and Bernice Turner were portion of Hank Williams Sr.’s Drifting Cowboys from 1946-1948.

During the Nashville Cats series, Turner besides spoke of wherefore helium loved some signaling alloy guitar successful the workplace and besides playing onstage. “It was portion of my learning process,” helium said. “I had to. I wasn’t going to conscionable autumn close into the studio. [Steel guitar player, known for his ...