If you’ve always thought that the pedal steel guitar was only a feature of tearjerking country-western music, meet Robert Randolph. From the House of God Church to your home stereo, Randolph is reinventing the sound of the steel.

The pedal steel guitar will never be the same once the world hears what young Randolph has to offer. He is redefining the instrument, both in its perception, and in the way it’s played. Robert Randolph and...