Sally Van Meter

Dirty Linen

This is an excerpt from the print edition of Dirty Linen #130 June/July 2007).
The full article is in the magazine, available on newsstands, by subscription, and at the Dirty Linen webstore.

Sally Van Meter

Ubiquitous Steel

by Linda J. Morris

At first encounter, Sally Van Meter seems to be a bundle of contradictions. She is among the most widely recorded musicians in America, appearing on more sides than she can count. She has been sought after by the likes of Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan, Garrison Keillor, and many more. Yet she has recorded only one album in her own name. To listen to this resophonic and steel-guitar virtuoso is to gain new respect for the range and capability of the instrument, often more associated with volume than finesse. But in her skillful hands, even an old chestnut like "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" becomes a thing of immense beauty and sensitivity. Still, she considers herself a sideperson, she said, "and I probably always will be -- but I'm a lucky sideperson!" Every performance is an opportunity for creativity, a chance to demonstrate the very human qualities of the instrument she has come to love.

Van Meter's in-demand status was apparent during the staff concert at last summer's Swannanoa Gathering. The word was out: If you want someone to be responsive to your material and style, to be masterful without upstaging the song, that someone would be Sally Van Meter. She shared the stage, in turn, with a range of artists, from Celtic fingerpicking master Steve Baughman to Hawaiian slack-key guitarist Patrick Landeza. With Ed Dodson and Robin Bullock, Van Meter proved that bluegrass is not just a race to the finish line. Steve James' innovative country blues was given added dimension with Van Meter along for the ride, as was Ray Chesna's Western swing. On Cindy Novelo's "Sunflower Fields," Van Meter's delicate ornamentation carried on a conversation with Novelo's warm vocals. In fact, Van Meter appeared so many times onstage, she was prompted to tell the audience, "I am the Dobro player that won't go away." And late at night, after the concert had ended, long after the die-hard jammers began to break ranks, Van Meter could be seen sharing the light from a porch with Baughman learning a lovely old Celtic waltz.

[cover #130]