I hope I can address that in some measure.
Peter Nylund
Some background from Peter.
I started playing steel here in Finland back in 1978. My brother, two cousins and myself started a group called Country Life. As we played country (from scratch) we were in desperate need of a steel guitar to get the sound we wanted. The choice was between the two guitar players in the band, one of my cousins and myself. The rest is history. The band celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2007 We play ‘occasionally’! But I have also been doing studio work for acts in Finland who don't have their own steel player.
I have had the opportunity to back some great artists through the years also. The ones I remember best are Doyle Holly, former bass player in the Buckaroos, and Tommy Collins, a great songwriter who wrote many songs for Merle Haggard.
Last year I was invited to perform at the Irish Steel Guitar Festival, the highlight of my "career". Oh boy was I nervous! It's much easier to perform in front of thousands of "normal" people, than to pick a few tunes in front of the grand jury. But I made a lot of friends there that frequently keep in touch.