Until a year ago, Robert Randolph's only regular gig was playing sacred steel on Sundays for the parishioners at his New Jersey church.
Sacred steel is gospel music played on pedal steel guitar, often to the accompaniment of electric bass, church organ and drums, in Pentacostal churches throughout the United States, especially in the South. Randolph had mastered it at an early age and occasionally made appearances at religious music festivals. During the week, he had an office job.
Then one day, John Medeski, the keyboard wizard behind the popular jazz jam band Medeski, Martin and Wood, heard a live recording of Randolph -- a track off a rare sacred steel compilation released by the roots music label Arhoolie.