"Slowly" is a 1954 song by Webb Pierce, written by Pierce and Nashville songwriter Tommy Hill (brother of singer Goldie Hill).

Background

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Beyond its success as a song, "Slowly" was hugely influential in the history of country music, in that it was among the first (and certainly the most successful to date) songs to feature a pedal steel guitar. The song's iconic intro, played by Bud Isaacs, was said to have sent legions of lap steel guitar players scurrying to their closets for wire coat hangers, with which they attempted to modify their existing instruments to get the pitch shifting effect achieved by Isaacs.

Chart performance

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The song was one of Pierce's more successful singles, spending seventeen weeks at the top of the Country and Western Best Sellers lists and a total of thirty-six weeks in the chart.[1]

Cover versions

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References

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  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 267.
  2. ^ Mazor, Barry. (January 29, 2014) "Sister Act." The Wall Street Journal.