Not to pull the carpet out from anyone else with a slide bar, but Hal Rugg is one of the kings of the pedal steel guitar, acknowledged as a genius and inspiration just about every time a fellow player on this delicious-sounding and essential country & western instrument is interviewed about important influences. One of the great collaborations in country music is that between Rugg and the great singer/songwriter Loretta Lynn. Rugg appears on many Lynn recordings, creating a legacy of hot intros, solos, and general licks that will keep pedal steel players up each and every night.