sacred steel guitar
Toledo, Ohio
Photo: Del Ray Grace, Sr.
Fran “Lady Strings” Grace is among a small sisterhood of women trailblazers playing sacred steel guitar in African American Holiness-Pentecostal worship services. A masterful lap-steel guitarist, she leads a powerhouse family band specializing in the ecstatic, steel-guitar-driven gospel music she grew up with in church. Should any uncertainty remain as to the link between gospel and rock and roll, Fran and her family band’s electric, spirit-filled performances will surely clear that up. “We’re from a country church,” Fran chuckles. “We’re down to earth, and we can play some music.”
Sacred steel originated when brothers Troman and Willie Eason of Philadelphia, enamored of the Hawaiian lap-steel guitar, introduced electric steel guitar into House of God churches in the 1930s. Named for the metal bar slid over the guitar strings, the music is characterized by single-note melodies that mimic African American vocal styles. Distinct approaches emerged in two branches of the House of God, known as the Keith and Jewell Dominions. The former, developed by guitarist Henry Nelson, is more up-tempo, with guitar lines played over a single, drone-like chord. The Jewell Dominion style is attributed to Bishop Lorenzo Harrison, and features chord changes, wah pedals, and uniquely tuned double and triple strings that imitate an organ. In both traditions, sacred steel music can take lead or provide accompaniment, but most importantly, it helps inspire and elevate the congregation to become filled with the Holy Spirit.
Raised in the Jewell Dominion, Fran Grace plays lap steel in the style pioneered by Bishop Harrison. Born in Toledo, Ohio, she came up in the State Line Church of the Living God, a tiny church pastored by her grandmother, Bishop Ella Mae Dupree. A profoundly resilient woman, Bishop Dupree had survived an accident that left her with one arm, yet she still marked the rhythm for her church services on an old bass drum. Fran remembers Dupree praying for her grandchildren to grow up and become her church band. That’s exactly what happened. As a child, her older brother, Del Ray Grace, Sr., insisted that she start sitting in on piano with church bands, which developed her confidence. Thanks to enthusiastic support from her parents, she taught herself to play multiple instruments, eventually focusing on lap steel. After decades spent mastering it and earning her community’s respect, in 2019 Fran was declared a Queen of Sacred Steel by the Sacred Steel Hall of Fame.
Carrying on the legacy of her grandmother and Bishop Harrison, Fran leads a family band bursting with talent. Accompanying her in Richmond are her sisters, Angela Grace “Lady Keys” Russell on keyboard and Tressa “T Boles” Boles on vocals; her nephew Del Ray Grace, Jr. on bass guitar; her son Chris Pope on drums; and her brother in-law Jay “Fingertips” Caver on rhythm guitar. Her older brother, Del Ray Sr., will also guest on lap steel. Look for a brand-new record at the festival featuring a song dedicated to the indomitable Bishop Ella Mae Dupree, entitled “Grandma’s Drum.” “I really want everybody to hear the story about her,” Fran says. “She brought us to where we are today.”