Hal Rugg - "Mr. Versatile"
Harold Lee Rugg was born on July 21, 1936 in New York, but moved to Tucson, Arizona when he was a kid. Like so many other players he names Leon McAuliffe, Don Helms and Jerry Byrd as his early influences. After playing in small clubs for a couple of years he moved to Nashville where he started to work on the road for artists like George Jones and Bobby Lord as well as working recording sessions. Together with Weldon Myrick and Sonny Burnette he was one of the regular staff players at the Grand Ole Opry in the 1960's.
Hal Rugg is one of the most versatile and creative players of today, equally at home in Country Music and Jazz. He is the man who played on all those Loretta Lynn recordings and drove everybody crazy with intros like "One's On The Way" and "Don't Come Home A-Drinking". He also worked as a regular on many television shows, including Hee Haw.
Hal Rugg is a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.