Man of steel: Donora’s Crafton pedals his wares
LATROBE – Only a few quick notes into “Dark Hollow” – a bluegrass staple written in 1957 by Bill Browning – and a gathering of people inside Four Seasons Brewing Company changed focus from conversation to the man wearing a white fedora and sitting behind a pedal steel guitar.
Attention remained intact as songs like the Box Tops’ “The Letter,” Elvis Costello’s “Alison,” Cat Stevens’ “Wild World,” and the Johnny Cash classic “Folsom Prison Blues” followed during a 17-song opening set from The Hitchhikers, a regional two-piece outfit led by guitarist and vocalist Bradley Rhea, who was accompanied July 10 by Donora resident and Ringgold High School graduate Bob “Crafty” Crafton – the man sitting at the pedal steel.
During nearly three hours and two sets of music, The Hitchhikers drew standing ovations for their rendition of Jerry Garcia’s “Sugaree,” a staple of Grateful Dead live shows, and calls of “Crafty” came from all directions of the microbrewery. Crafton’s been a contributor with The Hitchhikers since 2006, but given his hectic schedule playing with multiple bands, his appearances aren’t regular.
“I fill in with anybody who needs a steel guitar,” Crafton said. “Lucky for me, there’s enough people who do.”
Western Pennsylvania isn’t Nashville, which makes quality pedal steel guitarists difficult to find. The pedal steel, an electric steel guitar built on a stand and fitted with pedals to adjust the sound, has origins dating to Hawaii in the late 19th century, but its biggest impact is in country music.
The pedal steel guitar is a complex instrument and one that takes considerable time to master, but its sound is yearning and romantic.
“I always say he makes my job easier, as long as I can keep time and sing in tune,” said Rhea, known for his work in long-running bands Grinning Mob and Flowerchild. “As far as the instrument he plays, in this area, I can only think of two people who can do it, and the only other person I know took lessons from Crafty. … He’s a master of filling in all the spaces, and he knows how to take charge. He’s an artist who can express many different emotions with his instrument.”
Crafton’s craftsmanship offers classic sounds, old-time twang and mystical elements to standards, and it’s kept him in high demand. A 15-piece band Crafton plays private shows with recently performed in front of professional golfers at a PGA Tour stop in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. He also works with Slim Forsythe, and he even enjoyed a few brushes with country music stardom.
The 58-year-old Crafton was an original member of Poverty Neck Hillbillies, which formed in 2000 and earned a loyal regional following thanks to their energetic live performances and the release of albums “Hillbilly State of Mind” (2000), “Don’t Look Back” (2004) and a self-titled release in 2006. Ben Roethlisberger once appeared in a music video for “Mr. Right Now” and Poverty Neck Hillbillies became the official band of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The group sold more than 10,000 albums, earned distinction as one of the top-selling independent country music artists and came close to a big breakthrough, but Crafton was out of the group by 2006. Two years later, they disbanded.
Six original Hillbillies members, including Chris “Abby” Abbondanza, Jeff Volek, David “Jr” Guthrie and Crafton, reunited in 2012 for a concert at Consol Energy Park. The Hillbilly Way continues to play and record music. The group, with more than 12,000 likes on Facebook, recently played Jacktown Fair.
“It’s easier now than it was the first time around. There’s a lot less stress, and we all kind of grew out of it,” said Crafton, who studied psychology at California University of Pennsylvania. “We all get along way better now, and the band is better and tighter. It’s not as crazy as it was as the Poverty Neck Hillbillies. We’re all older, and we’re all dads.”
In late June, Hillbilly Way released a single, “Tequila Memory,” on Froggy-FM. It was recorded at Rhythm House Studios in Charleroi. Bob Arthurs II runs the studio.
“He’s really into making it a great studio,” Crafton said. “He loves music and wants to make it a world-class place.”
Crafton’s journey to recording in the studio began in Monongahela, where he took guitar lessons from Harold Weaver, whom he calls “an unreal guitar teacher.” Weaver hired Crafton, who also plays bass guitar and the banjo, to teach lessons before a friend, Greg Glarrow, talked him into buying a steel guitar after listening to music from New Riders of the Purple Sage and Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen. It took about a year, and nine months of lessons from Hudson Hawk, before Crafton felt confident playing the instrument.
“The thing that drew me to the steel guitar was the players weren’t content to be in the background. New Riders and Commander Cody brought it to the forefront,” said Crafton, who is married and has two sons. “I had never heard anyone do that, and I fell in love with the sound.”
And Crafton’s love turned into a profession.
“There’s nothing in the world I’d rather do than play music,” he said.