By George Slaughter
Steve Wariner
Steve Wariner, the four-time Grammy Award-winning country musician, is returning to Katy. He will play at Mo’s Place, 21940 Kingsland Blvd., Friday night.
“We played Mo’s a few years back,” Wariner said in an interview Wednesday. “We’re way overdue to come back. We love that place. We had a blast last time.”
He’s bringing a new guitar with him. In July, he unveiled a signature model Gretsch guitar that he designed with his son Ryan and a friend, Jeff Senn, who designs guitars. Wariner said they had discussed and worked to develop this model over a period of years.
“It’s one of the most versatile models you’ll see,” Wariner said. “It’s not only appealing and wonderful for country music guys, the Chet Atkins finger-picking guys, but it’s for guys who want to play Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Tom Petty. I wanted it to be appealing to those guys. They may not know me, but they’re going to love this guitar.”
Wariner was born in Indiana, and began his music career playing in his father’s band. His father was a big fan of Chet Atkins, and passed on that appreciation to his son.
“He loved Chet, so I knew all Chet’s work,” Wariner said.
Eventually, Wariner got to meet and tour with Atkins and his band. Wariner played bass.
“He was my mentor,” Wariner said. “As a kid, in a lot of ways, he was my hero. I learned about life and all kinds of lessons from him. We were friends until his death in 2001. He was a giant figure in my life.”
Atkins and his family also appreciated Wariner’s friendship, as evidenced last month when a star honoring Atkins was unveiled on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville. The family asked Wariner to be the presenter.
Wariner has also been honored for his music. Earlier this year, Garth Brooks presented Wariner for induction to the Musicians Hall of Fame.
“Garth was the guy that did the honors,” Wariner said. “What a night. I’m honored to be in the Hall of Fame. That was something else.”
Wariner has won Grammy Awards for the following songs:
- Restless (1991, with Mark O’Connor, Ricky Skaggs, and Vince Gill, for Best Country Collaboration)
- Bob’s Breakdowns (2000, with Asleep at the Wheel, for Best Country Instrumental Performance)
- Cluster Pluck (2008, with James Burton, Vince Gill, Albert Lee, John Jorgenson, Brett Mason, Brad Paisley, and Redd Volkaert, for Best Country Instrumental Performance)
- Producer’s Medley (2009, for Best Country Instrumental Performance)
Wariner said a good country music song has heart.
“Country music, in general, has that old heart,” Wariner said. “In my opinion, it has to say something. It lays out a realism where you say, that’s my life. I’ve been there, in the middle of that movie.”
Warnier said country music always tells a story and always has a moral.
“It’s the story of somebody’s life,” Warnier said. “I think that goes back to the writing part for me. It goes back to what I know, what I’ve experienced. That’s what I do. I’m comfortable doing that, writing stuff that really happened. Country music has always been good at doing that.”
Wariner’s last album, “All Over the Place,” came out in 2016. He said he’s been working slowly on a greatest hits package, while working with other musicians, including John Schneider and Katy’s Clint Black, on their projects.
He’s also been touring. Wariner said about 85% of the concerts he plays are in Texas. He’s not from Texas, but he likes to visit the Lone Star State every chance he gets.
“The greatest fans in the world are from Texas,” Wariner said.