Buddy Emmons
Encyclopedia
Buddy Emmons is an American
guitarist
.
Emmons has been called "The World's Foremost Steel Guitarist" and his talent is greatly admired by fellow steel guitarists. His musical versatility spans genres such as country, swing, jazz, folk, and country-rock, and he has performed or recorded with a wide variety of vocalists and musicians including Judy Collins
, Linda Ronstadt
, Ernest Tubb
, John Hartford
, The Everly Brothers
, Ray Price
, and Lenny Breau
. His innovative musical stylings range from tasteful ballad accompaniment and classical music to be-bop jazz, big band swing standards, and Western swing. He has also made significant contributions to the design, development, and evolution of the pedal steel guitar
as a musical instrument.
and signed Buddy up for lessons at the Hawaiian Conservatory of Music in South Bend, Indiana
, which Buddy dutifully attended for about a year. Buddy then began figuring out on his own how to play the country music he heard on the radio. Buddy has said that Jerry Byrd and Herb Remington were among his first major influences. By age 15, Buddy's playing had progressed considerably and his parents bought him a triple-neck Fender
"Stringmaster" steel guitar, and he began performing with local bands in South Bend such as The Choctaw Cowboys. Bored with high school, he left at age 16 and moved with a boyhood friend to Calumet City, Illinois
, where he was soon hired by Stony Calhoun to play in his band. At 17, he moved to Detroit to play with Casey Clark. During his stint with Clark, Buddy purchased a Bigsby steel guitar with pedals similar to the pedal steel guitar that Bud Isaacs had used on the Webb Pierce
hit song "Slowly
". (The pedals on a pedal steel guitar
allow the player to change the pitch of one or more strings while playing the instrument.)
heard Buddy playing with Casey Clark and offered him a job with his band, so at the age of 18, in July, 1955, Buddy moved to Nashville. Dickens' band was then considered one of the hottest bands in country music, with complex arrangements and fast twin guitar harmonies. Dickens arranged for his band to record several instrumentals on Columbia Records
under the name, "The Country Boys". The first tunes recorded included three of Buddy's originals, two of which, "Raising the Dickens" and "Buddie's Boogie", quickly become steel guitar standards.
In 1956, Dickens dissolved his band to perform as a solo act, and later that year Buddy and Shot Jackson
formed the Sho-Bud ("SHOt-BUDdy") Company to design and build pedal steel guitars. Meanwhile Buddy began doing recording sessions in Nashville—one of his first studio sessions resulted in Faron Young
's hit version of "Sweet Dreams".
In late 1956, Buddy contributed a major innovation to the evolution of the pedal steel guitar by splitting the function of the two pedals that changed the pitch of several strings from a tonic chord to a sub-dominant chord. This "split-pedal" setup is now the standard pedal arrangement in the E9 tuning, since it allows greater musical flexibility than the earlier pedal setup pioneered by Bud Isaacs. Buddy recalls that he first used this split-pedal innovation on Ernest Tubb's "Half A Mind (to Leave You)".
His playing over the next several years with Price set the benchmark for sophisticated and tasteful steel guitar accompaniment on many of Price's hits. His unique moving counter-point intro on "Touch My Heart" and his jazz-based bluesy intro and solo on "Night Life" established Buddy as one of the most innovative musicians in Nashville. Buddy was soon appointed by Price to be his bandleader and created many of the arrangements on Price's recordings over the next several years.
After trying without success to get Shot Jackson interested in his new guitar design ideas, Buddy left Sho-Bud in 1963 and formed a new guitar manufacturing company, the Emmons Guitar Company. The Emmons steel guitar soon became the instrument of choice for many professional steel guitarists, and the early Emmons steel guitars with Buddy's original "push/pull" pitch-changer design are highly sought-after instruments today—due to their outstanding tone and durability.
Another musical milestone was Buddy's Steel Guitar Jazz album, recorded in New York City in 1963. The first jazz album featuring a steel guitar and recorded with established jazz session-players, it received praise from Downbeat, the highly respected jazz magazine.
As Lloyd Green
, a highly in-demand studio steel guitarist said of Buddy in 1977, "He's not an ordinary guy. In my opinion, Buddy Emmons is probably the most intelligent and talented musician who's ever played the instrument. He's like Picasso or Michelangelo
. That might be laying it on a little thick, but he's just flawless in his playing. Nobody is the composite player he is. He was the first modern great steel player and nobody's surpassed him yet. Emmons just, by God, came along and sounded like a 1977 steel player when he came here in 1955".
Buddy's son, Larry, from his first marriage, later would become a professional musician, playing bass with Ernest Tubb. According to a 1965 interview, Buddy and his second wife, Gigi "have two children, Buddie Gene and Tami". Buddy continued to record and tour with Price until 1967, and, between tours with Price, did recording session work with many Nashville artists such as George Jones
and Melba Montgomery
. Emmons left the Cherokee Cowboys largely due to his disenchantment with Price's growing interest in performing pop-style country with string orchestrations.
In 1967 he married his third wife Peggy, who brought twin girls, Debbie and Diana, from her first marriage. Buddy has credited Peggy with calming his wild streak. "It was the way she handled things when I first met her. When I got in one of my stages she knew how to handle it - and very quietly, too, which I wasn't used to." Meanwhile, Buddy's long-time friend, songwriter Roger Miller
, offered him a job in his band in California. Buddy moved to Los Angeles, playing bass in Roger Miller's band and doing studio work on pedal steel. His first recording session in L.A. was on Judy Collins
' classic "Someday Soon". He soon began recording with artists such as The Carpenters
, Nancy Sinatra
, Gram Parsons
, John Sebastian
, and Ray Charles
, as well as recording jingles, commercials, and movie soundtracks for Henry Mancini
.
, Donna Fargo
, Duane Eddy
and Charlie Walker
. Beginning in 1974, Buddy became a regularly featured performer at the annual International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis, and was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981.
In 1976 Buddy recorded a highly regarded tribute to the great Western Swing artist Bob Wills
, on which Buddy was the lead vocalist as well as the steel guitar player. He continued to do session work throughout the 1980s and 1990s with artists such as John Hartford
, George Strait
, Gene Watson
and Ricky Skaggs
.
for occasional gigs, and then in 1978 they toured as the band Redneck Jazz Explosion. On New Year's Eve 1978, they recorded the album "Redneck Jazz" live at The Cellar Door in Washington, D.C.
in 1991, which continued until about 2001. Buddy discontinued doing regular session work around 1998 in order to tour with The Everlys.
Buddy's zealous practice schedule caught up with him around 2001. He began suffering from a painful repetitive motion injury to his right thumb and wrist, which caused him to stop playing for over a year. Although fully recovered now and playing as well as ever, Buddy chooses not to return to recording session work on a regular basis, but does record with certain artists he has known for many years, such as Ray Price, Johnny Bush
, and Willie Nelson
. He continues to perform at steel guitar shows, and occasionally on American Public Media's A Prairie Home Companion
.
Buddy has three granddaughters, Crystal, Nikia, (who died in 2004) and Brittany, and two grandsons, Levon and Buddie III. Buddy's wife Peggy often accompanied him to steel guitar shows and conventions, and became known as a warm-hearted, gracious woman as she helped Buddy meet his many fans and sell his recordings and videos. She died unexpectedly on December 19, 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
Emmons has been called "The World's Foremost Steel Guitarist" and his talent is greatly admired by fellow steel guitarists. His musical versatility spans genres such as country, swing, jazz, folk, and country-rock, and he has performed or recorded with a wide variety of vocalists and musicians including Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, Ernest Tubb
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music...
, John Hartford
John Hartford
John Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
, The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
, Ray Price
Ray Price (musician)
Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
, and Lenny Breau
Lenny Breau
Leonard Harold "Lenny" Breau was a musician, guitar player, and music educator. He was known for blending many styles of music including: jazz, country, classical and flamenco guitar...
. His innovative musical stylings range from tasteful ballad accompaniment and classical music to be-bop jazz, big band swing standards, and Western swing. He has also made significant contributions to the design, development, and evolution of the pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
as a musical instrument.
Childhood and early musical career
He was born Buddy Gene Emmons. When he was 11 years old, his father bought him a 6-string lap steel guitarLap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
and signed Buddy up for lessons at the Hawaiian Conservatory of Music in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, which Buddy dutifully attended for about a year. Buddy then began figuring out on his own how to play the country music he heard on the radio. Buddy has said that Jerry Byrd and Herb Remington were among his first major influences. By age 15, Buddy's playing had progressed considerably and his parents bought him a triple-neck Fender
Fender
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...
"Stringmaster" steel guitar, and he began performing with local bands in South Bend such as The Choctaw Cowboys. Bored with high school, he left at age 16 and moved with a boyhood friend to Calumet City, Illinois
Calumet City, Illinois
Calumet City is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 39,072 at the 2000 census. The ZIP code is 60409.Calumet City was founded in 1892 when the villages of Schrumville and Sobieski Park merged under the name of West Hammond, since it lies on the west side of the...
, where he was soon hired by Stony Calhoun to play in his band. At 17, he moved to Detroit to play with Casey Clark. During his stint with Clark, Buddy purchased a Bigsby steel guitar with pedals similar to the pedal steel guitar that Bud Isaacs had used on the Webb Pierce
Webb Pierce
Webb Michael Pierce was one of the most popular American honky tonk vocalists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. His biggest hit was "In The Jailhouse Now," which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one...
hit song "Slowly
Slowly (Webb Pierce song)
Slowly is a 1954 song by Webb Pierce, written by Pierce and Nashville songwriter Tommy Hill . The song was one of Pierce's more successful singles, spending seventeen weeks at the top of the Country and Western Best Sellers lists and a total of thirty-six weeks in the chart.Beyond its success as a...
". (The pedals on a pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
allow the player to change the pitch of one or more strings while playing the instrument.)
1955: Little Jimmy Dickens
The next year, Little Jimmy DickensLittle Jimmy Dickens
James Cecil Dickens , better known as Little Jimmy Dickens, is an American country music singer famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size, 4'11" , and his rhinestone-studded outfits...
heard Buddy playing with Casey Clark and offered him a job with his band, so at the age of 18, in July, 1955, Buddy moved to Nashville. Dickens' band was then considered one of the hottest bands in country music, with complex arrangements and fast twin guitar harmonies. Dickens arranged for his band to record several instrumentals on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
under the name, "The Country Boys". The first tunes recorded included three of Buddy's originals, two of which, "Raising the Dickens" and "Buddie's Boogie", quickly become steel guitar standards.
In 1956, Dickens dissolved his band to perform as a solo act, and later that year Buddy and Shot Jackson
Shot Jackson
Shot Jackson was a country music guitarist best known for playing Dobro and pedal steel guitar. He also designed and manufactured guitars under the name Sho-Bud.-Biography:...
formed the Sho-Bud ("SHOt-BUDdy") Company to design and build pedal steel guitars. Meanwhile Buddy began doing recording sessions in Nashville—one of his first studio sessions resulted in Faron Young
Faron Young
Faron Young was an American country music singer and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s and one of its most successful and colorful stars...
's hit version of "Sweet Dreams".
In late 1956, Buddy contributed a major innovation to the evolution of the pedal steel guitar by splitting the function of the two pedals that changed the pitch of several strings from a tonic chord to a sub-dominant chord. This "split-pedal" setup is now the standard pedal arrangement in the E9 tuning, since it allows greater musical flexibility than the earlier pedal setup pioneered by Bud Isaacs. Buddy recalls that he first used this split-pedal innovation on Ernest Tubb's "Half A Mind (to Leave You)".
1957: Ernest Tubb & The Texas Troubadours
In 1957, Buddy (by then known as the "Big E" for both his 6-foot height and musical prowess) joined Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours. His first recording with Tubb, "Half A Mind (to Leave You)", quickly became a hit record, and has since become a classic country standard. In 1958, Buddy quit Tubb's band and moved to California. Eight months later, he returned to Nashville and rejoined the Texas Troubadours as the lead guitar player for the next five months, at which point he returned to the pedal steel guitar chair in the band.1962: Ray Price & The Cherokee Cowboys
In 1962, he left Tubb to join Ray Price and the Cherokee Cowboys, replacing his long-time friend, steel-guitarist Jimmy Day. His first recording with Price in September, 1962, produced the hit song, "You Took Her Off My Hands". On this song Buddy made elegant use of another of his major steel guitar innovations- adding two "chromatic" strings (F# and D#) to the E9th tuning. These "chromatic strings" have since become part of the standard 10-string pedal steel guitar tuning.His playing over the next several years with Price set the benchmark for sophisticated and tasteful steel guitar accompaniment on many of Price's hits. His unique moving counter-point intro on "Touch My Heart" and his jazz-based bluesy intro and solo on "Night Life" established Buddy as one of the most innovative musicians in Nashville. Buddy was soon appointed by Price to be his bandleader and created many of the arrangements on Price's recordings over the next several years.
After trying without success to get Shot Jackson interested in his new guitar design ideas, Buddy left Sho-Bud in 1963 and formed a new guitar manufacturing company, the Emmons Guitar Company. The Emmons steel guitar soon became the instrument of choice for many professional steel guitarists, and the early Emmons steel guitars with Buddy's original "push/pull" pitch-changer design are highly sought-after instruments today—due to their outstanding tone and durability.
Another musical milestone was Buddy's Steel Guitar Jazz album, recorded in New York City in 1963. The first jazz album featuring a steel guitar and recorded with established jazz session-players, it received praise from Downbeat, the highly respected jazz magazine.
As Lloyd Green
Lloyd Green
Lloyd Green is an American steel guitarist. Green is most notable for his session work, having played on records with artists such as Johnny Cash, Alan Jackson, Lynn Anderson, Don Williams, Paul McCartney, Charley Pride and many others.-Early life:Lloyd Green was born on October 4, 1937 in Leaf,...
, a highly in-demand studio steel guitarist said of Buddy in 1977, "He's not an ordinary guy. In my opinion, Buddy Emmons is probably the most intelligent and talented musician who's ever played the instrument. He's like Picasso or Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
. That might be laying it on a little thick, but he's just flawless in his playing. Nobody is the composite player he is. He was the first modern great steel player and nobody's surpassed him yet. Emmons just, by God, came along and sounded like a 1977 steel player when he came here in 1955".
Buddy's son, Larry, from his first marriage, later would become a professional musician, playing bass with Ernest Tubb. According to a 1965 interview, Buddy and his second wife, Gigi "have two children, Buddie Gene and Tami". Buddy continued to record and tour with Price until 1967, and, between tours with Price, did recording session work with many Nashville artists such as George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
and Melba Montgomery
Melba Montgomery
Melba Montgomery is an American country music singer. She is best known for duet hit recordings in the 1960s with country music singer George Jones....
. Emmons left the Cherokee Cowboys largely due to his disenchantment with Price's growing interest in performing pop-style country with string orchestrations.
1967: Moving to California and Roger Miller
Meanwhile, he began living the fast life. "I spent most of my time with a drink in my hand. I just liked to have fun." Life in the fast lane brought Buddy a second divorce, problems with booze and pills, tax problems, and fewer recording sessions. "I couldn't get work for one thing," he says candidly. "My wildness had peaked. I guess everybody had caught my act. I missed sessions, and I was having troubles at home with my second wife".In 1967 he married his third wife Peggy, who brought twin girls, Debbie and Diana, from her first marriage. Buddy has credited Peggy with calming his wild streak. "It was the way she handled things when I first met her. When I got in one of my stages she knew how to handle it - and very quietly, too, which I wasn't used to." Meanwhile, Buddy's long-time friend, songwriter Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
, offered him a job in his band in California. Buddy moved to Los Angeles, playing bass in Roger Miller's band and doing studio work on pedal steel. His first recording session in L.A. was on Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
' classic "Someday Soon". He soon began recording with artists such as The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
, Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
, John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
, and Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, as well as recording jingles, commercials, and movie soundtracks for Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
.
1974: Return to Nashville
Buddy returned with Peggy to Nashville in 1974, where he quickly resumed studio work with artists such as Mel TillisMel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis , known professionally as Mel Tillis, is an American country music singer. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 hits....
, Donna Fargo
Donna Fargo
Donna Fargo is an American country music singer-songwriter, who is best-known for a series of Top 10 country hits in the 1970s...
, Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
and Charlie Walker
Charlie Walker (musician)
Charlie Walker was an American country musician born in Copeville, Texas. He held membership in the Grand Ole Opry from 1967, and was inducted into the Country Radio DJ Hall of Fame in 1981.- Career :...
. Beginning in 1974, Buddy became a regularly featured performer at the annual International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis, and was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981.
In 1976 Buddy recorded a highly regarded tribute to the great Western Swing artist Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
, on which Buddy was the lead vocalist as well as the steel guitar player. He continued to do session work throughout the 1980s and 1990s with artists such as John Hartford
John Hartford
John Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
, George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
, Gene Watson
Gene Watson
Gary Gene Watson is an American country singer. He is most famous for his 1975 hit "Love in the Hot Afternoon," his 1982 hit "Fourteen Carat Mind," and his signature song "Farewell Party." Watson's long career has notched six number ones, 23 top tens and over 75 charted singles.-Biography:Watson...
and Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
.
1977: Redneck Jazz Explosion
In 1977, Buddy teamed with Danny GattonDanny Gatton
Danny Gatton was an American guitarist who fused rockabilly, jazz, and country styles to create his own distinctive style of playing. A biography, Unfinished Business: The Life and Times of Danny Gatton by Ralph Heibutzki, was published in 2003. It has a voluminous discography...
for occasional gigs, and then in 1978 they toured as the band Redneck Jazz Explosion. On New Year's Eve 1978, they recorded the album "Redneck Jazz" live at The Cellar Door in Washington, D.C.
1990s: The Everly Brothers
In 1990, Buddy and Ray Pennington formed the Swing Shift Band, and began producing a highly regarded series of CDs that included Big Band Swing, Western Swing, and original country songs. Buddy began touring with The Everly BrothersThe Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
in 1991, which continued until about 2001. Buddy discontinued doing regular session work around 1998 in order to tour with The Everlys.
Buddy's zealous practice schedule caught up with him around 2001. He began suffering from a painful repetitive motion injury to his right thumb and wrist, which caused him to stop playing for over a year. Although fully recovered now and playing as well as ever, Buddy chooses not to return to recording session work on a regular basis, but does record with certain artists he has known for many years, such as Ray Price, Johnny Bush
Johnny Bush
Johnny Bush, born February 17, 1935 as John Bush Shinn III in Houston, Texas, is a country music singer, songwriter, and drummer. Bush, nicknamed the "Country Caruso," is best-known for his distinctive voice and as the writer of "Whiskey River," a top-ten hit for himself and Willie Nelson's...
, and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
. He continues to perform at steel guitar shows, and occasionally on American Public Media's A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
.
Buddy has three granddaughters, Crystal, Nikia, (who died in 2004) and Brittany, and two grandsons, Levon and Buddie III. Buddy's wife Peggy often accompanied him to steel guitar shows and conventions, and became known as a warm-hearted, gracious woman as she helped Buddy meet his many fans and sell his recordings and videos. She died unexpectedly on December 19, 2007.
Selected recordings
- Buddy Emmons, Buddy Emmons (Emmons Guitar Company) [Often referred to as "The Black Album"]
- Touch My Heart/Burning Memories, Ray Price (Audium/Sony)
- Steel Guitar, Buddy Emmons (Flying Fish Records)
- Swinging Our Way, Buddy Emmons & Ray Pennington (Step One Records)
- Minors AloudMinors AloudMinors Aloud is an album by American pedal steel guitarist Buddy Emmons and Canadian guitarist Lenny Breau, first released in 1978.-History:...
, Buddy Emmons & Lenny Breau (Flying Fish Records) - Buddy Emmons Sings Bob Wills, Buddy Emmons (Flying Fish Records)