Roy Ayres
Encyclopedia
Roy Ayres is an American
pedal steel guitar
player.
A Grand Ole Opry
musician known for full chords and smooth tone, Ayres played steel guitar on all of Pee Wee King
’s major hits, including “The Tennessee Waltz
”. He recorded with scores of King Records
artists and played steel guitar in the Durango Kid western series.
He was inducted into the Pioneers of Western Swing
Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Western Swing Music Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2007, he was the 57th inductee into the International Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.
Ayres was born December 10, 1929, in Columbus, Mississippi
. He has a master’s degree in physics and was Director of String Instrument Development at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. He currently resides in Riverview, Florida
, with his wife, Laurie, and still performs to this day.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
player.
A Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
musician known for full chords and smooth tone, Ayres played steel guitar on all of Pee Wee King
Pee Wee King
Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski , known professionally as Pee Wee King, was an American country music songwriter and recording artist best known for co-writing "The Tennessee Waltz"....
’s major hits, including “The Tennessee Waltz
The Tennessee Waltz
"Tennessee Waltz" is a popular/country music song with lyrics by Redd Stewart and music by Pee Wee King written in 1946 and first released in December 1947 as a single by Cowboy Copas that same year...
”. He recorded with scores of King Records
King Records (USA)
King Records is an American record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and originally headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.-History:At first it specialized in country music, at the time still known as "hillbilly music." King advertised, "If it's a King, It's a Hillbilly -- If it's a Hillbilly, it's a...
artists and played steel guitar in the Durango Kid western series.
He was inducted into the Pioneers of Western Swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Western Swing Music Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2007, he was the 57th inductee into the International Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.
Ayres was born December 10, 1929, in Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States that lies above the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census...
. He has a master’s degree in physics and was Director of String Instrument Development at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. He currently resides in Riverview, Florida
Riverview, Florida
Riverview, the name of three places in the U.S. state of Florida, may refer to:* Riverview, Duval County, Florida* Riverview, Escambia County, Florida* Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida...
, with his wife, Laurie, and still performs to this day.