Joe Goldmark

As an innovative force on the pedal steel guitar, Joe Goldmark has pushed the instrument well beyond its customary country confines through decades of boundary-breaking work. Since the late '70s he has issued numerous solo albums, applying his steel guitar to reinterpretations of material by the Beatles (captured on the album Steelin' the Beatles), the Byrds ("Eight Miles High"), Bob Seger ("Her Strut"), Fastball ("The Way"), the Grateful Dead ("China Cat Sunflower"), Don Gibson ("Sweet Dreams"), the Band ("Whispering Pines"), and Otis Redding ("These Arms of Mine"). His explorations have also encompassed global traditions from Africa, the Caribbean, and Mexico.

Beyond his own recordings that continue to challenge assumptions about the pedal steel, Goldmark has contributed to projects by Mike Bloomfield (on the guitarist's final recording), Taj Mahal, David Byrne (on True Stories), and Laurie Lewis. He authored the International Steel Guitar Discography, a reference published in multiple editions that catalogs every steel guitar instrumental ever recorded. In addition, Goldmark co-owns the record store Amoeba Music and serves as a partner in three pizzerias located in San Francisco.