Steel Tears is the seventh and final studio album by American folk guitarist Sandy Bull, released in 1996 through Timeless Recording Society. It was Bull's last album before his death in 2001.
Overview
The album was self-released by Bull on October 1, 1996, through his own Timeless Recording Society label. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, the album contains 11 tracks that blend folk, country, and world music elements, including original compositions and cover songs. It is notable as Bull's only album featuring prominent vocals and his final original release before his death from lung cancer on April 11, 2001.
Track listing
The album features a mix of three original compositions by Sandy Bull and eight cover songs. Original tracks include "ARABALABAMA," "Steel Tears," and "I May Never Pass Out." Cover songs include interpretations of Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get a Witness," Hank Williams Jr.'s "Old Habits Like You," and Arthur Crudup's "My Baby Left Me," among others.
Personnel
Sandy Bull performed lead vocals, guitar, banjo, pedal steel guitar, piano, and oud on the album. Additional musicians included Jerry Douglas (dobro), Eric Shouse (fiddle), Harry Stinson (drums), and guest vocalists Kevin Welch and Sam Phillips.
Reissue
In 2018, Omnivore Recordings reissued the album under the title Steel Tears // Endventions & Tributes (OV-268), which remastered the original 11 tracks and added eight bonus selections: four previously unreleased "Endventions" recordings by Bull, plus three tribute performances by Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Matraca Berg, and Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson's band), along with an outro.
Other uses
"Steel Tears" is also the name of a band founded in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1989 by Rod Musselman and Rex Jones, which recorded three albums. Additionally, a music project under the same name exists on streaming platforms, described as exploring themes of grief and resilience. However, these uses lack the same level of encyclopedic documentation as the Sandy Bull album.
