Born on This Day in 1938, the “Einstein” Steel Guitarist Whose Work You’ve Heard on Hits by George Strait and Alan Jackson

When steel guitarist Weldon Myrick died in 2014, country singer Connie Smith publicly credited him with creating her entire sound, according to The Tennessean. Born on this day (April 10) in 1938, Myrick made his Nashville debut on Smith’s chart-topping 1964 hit “Once a Day”.

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This marked the beginning of his prodigious career as a session musician, backing everyone from Loretta Lynn to Linda Ronstadt. Today we’re remembering Weldon Myrick on what would have marked his 88th birthday.

Born and raised roughly 100 miles east of Lubbock in the tiny Texas town of Jayton, Myrick’s fascination with music dated as far back as his own living memory, according to his online autobiography.

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Connie smith singing Once a Day! #Conniesmith #onceaday #CountryMusic #womenofcountry #oldschoolcountry

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Teaching himself to play lap steel guitar, Myrick landed his first music gig radio at a radio station near his hometown when he was just 13. While performing at a station in the larger city of Lubbock, he met local musicians Sonny Curtis, Buddy Holly, and Johnny Duncan.

By the time of his 1956 high school graduation, Weldon Myrick had already “picked” onstage in Nashville with Waylon Jennings. (Jennings hailed from nearby Littlefield, Texas.) After a stint with the Big Spring Police Department in Texas, he and wife Kitty “loaded up” their two kids and headed to Nashville in 1963.

Weldon Myrick’s Career “Covered the Whole Spectrum”

Shortly after his move to Nashville, Weldon Myrick met Bill Anderson, who invited him to join his Po’ Folks band. He would soon make his debut on Connie Smith’s “Once a Day”, penned by Anderson.

Myrick’s steel guitar credits include Anderson’s “Bright Lights and Country Music,” Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles,” Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time,” Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee”, George Strait’s “Let’s Fall To Pieces Together,” Ronnie Milsap’s “Houston Solution”, and more.

[RELATED: Behind The Song: Linda Ronstadt, “Long, Long Time”]

“Weldon was this great kind of Einstein steel player,” singer-songwriter Eric Anderson said. “He was incredible. He could make the strangest, weird, and most beautiful sounds.”

As a session musician, he recorded with Elvis Presley, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and others.

“I accomplished more than I ever dreamed,” Myrick wrote in the liner notes of his Keepsake compilation. “I covered the whole spectrum of picking, writing, singing and producing. It’s been a wonderful run.”

Weldon Myrick died on June 2, 2014, after suffering a stroke. He was 76.

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