The Luv Doc: In Memoriam

Neil Lanny Flanz

Passed peacefully on Dec. 2, 2021, at Austin, Texas, at the age of 83. Beloved son of the late Ben Flanz, the late Dina Flanz, the late Sadie Grosin, dear brother of Joyce Quinn and Allan Flanz, brother-in-law of Patrick Quinn, cherished uncle of Paul and Dian Quinn, Margaret and Brett Myles, and great-uncle of Deena and Jason Myles.

Neil was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. When he was 17, Neil began playing steel guitar and eventually worked at various music venues in Montreal, backing many visiting Nashville artists, including Charlie Louvin of the Louvin Brothers. At the age of 24, he began the process of moving to Nashville, Tenn., to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time professional pedal steel guitar player. Upon receiving his green card, he completed his move to Nashville where he played with many well-known country musicians including Charlie Louvin, Jean Shepard, Billy Walker, Ray Pillow, and many other Grand Ole Opry artists. In 1969, Neil was one of the first persons to develop an instruction course on CD for steel guitar. He also published a book, Pedal Steel Chord Dictionary for the C6 Nashville SetUp, which is still regarded as one of the most useful and authoritative texts for pedal steel guitar instruction. In 1973 he was asked to join a six-week tour with Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels, featuring Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. After the tour, he returned to Nashville where he had regular engagements at various Nashville clubs. In 1980, he was asked to join Joe Sun's band as his permanent steel player. The band played Austin City Limits and made three successful tours of Europe, including shows at London's Wembley Stadium. The band also visited Stockholm, Zurich, Amsterdam, and cities in Germany and Scotland.

Years later Neil moved to Austin, Texas, where he taught steel guitar and played regular shows with the Austin-based country band Fingerpistol at bars around Austin and the Central Texas area, most notably the Little Longhorn Saloon, where Tuesday nights he was always seated stage right, a few feet from the door. His warm smile and beautiful melodies earned him the name "Sweet Neil" from his bandmates. Although of slight build, Neil always insisted on carrying his own equipment, which he did right up to his very last show a week before going to the hospital. His main diet seemed to consist of nonalcoholic beer (Clausthaler was his favorite), Hershey's milk chocolate, and frozen dinners, especially chicken korma. Neil abhorred water and vegetables, and would refuse to ingest either. He was punctual, professional, and polite, and was universally regarded as the best dresser in the band. He loved a good story, had a great sense of humor, and an encyclopedic knowledge of the pedal steel guitar and country music in general – particularly country music from the classic era of Nashville in the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies. Neil was also an ardent supporter of progressive causes and politicians, loved watching MSNBC and CNN, and hated Donald Trump, the rise of white nationalism, and fundamentalist conservatism in general. Most of all, Neil loved playing music and was extremely proud of his work as a musician. In 2016, in recognition of his contributions as both a player and teacher, he was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. On Saturday, March 12, in Dallas, Texas, Neil will be posthumously inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Association Hall of Fame. Neil's passion for and dedication to his craft were an inspiration to everyone fortunate enough to get to know him. Sweet Neil is gone but not forgotten. His music and memory will always live in our hearts.