You’ve most certainly heard a pedal steel guitar before, most likely in any ‘old’ country song, or more specifically, any country song that doesn’t include the word ‘truck’ in its lyrics.

Susan Alcorn was 71 years old. After coming to the pedal steel guitar through country bands, Alcorn pursued a solo career in which she refined her approach to the instrument on a virtuosic level.

Susan Alcorn, the pioneering pedal steel player who steered the instrument in experimental, improvisational directions, has died. The High Zero Foundation, an experimental music organization and ...