Gene Watson’s Peers within the country music industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east Texas, so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as ‘the singer’s singer’ – and rightly so!
All of Gene Watson’s Peers, who were contacted by The Gene Watson Fan Site, during 2004, were most gracious with their time and words.
It is here, within this special part of The Gene Watson Fan Site, that you have an opportunity to read a quote from Buddy Emmons, which he submitted to this site on Thursday 23 September 2004.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Buddy Emmons who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
Buddy Emmons
This quote was submitted on Thursday 23 September 2004.
‘There are but a handful of vocalists I’ve worked with that bring out the best in me in a recording studio, and Gene Watson is one of them.
To be one of the finest vocalists on the planet and to have the respect of so many musicians, as well as his loyal fans, is something he should be very proud of.
Thanks, Gene, for the wonderful musical moments you have allowed me to share with you’
Thank you, Buddy Emmons, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Buddy Emmons…
Buddy Emmons has earned a place among Nashville’s elite as one of the finest steel guitar players in the business.
Buddy Emmons was born Buddy Gene Emmons in Mishawaka, Indiana on Wednesday 27 January 1937; he became known as Buddy Emmons and first fell in love with the instrument at the age of eleven when he received a 6-string lap steel guitar as a gift from his father, who arranged for lessons at Hawaiian Conservatory of Music in South Bend, Indiana, which Buddy Emmons dutifully attended for about a year.
Buddy Emmons then began figuring out, on his own, how to play the country music which he heard on the radio.
Buddy Emmons has said that Jerry Byrd and Herb Remington were among his first major musical influences.
By his mid-teens, Buddy Emmons’ 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, Buddy Emmons left when he was sixteen years old and moved with a childhood friend to Calumet City, Illinois where he was soon hired by Stony Calhoun to play in his band.
(Monday 8 August 1921 – Sunday 24 February 1991)
When he was seventeen years old, Buddy Emmons moved to Detroit to play with Casey Clark.
During his stint with Casey Clark, Buddy Emmons purchased a Bigsby steel guitar with pedals similar to the pedal steel guitar which Bud Isaacs had used on Webb Pierce’s ‘Slowly’ (No.1, 1954); the track, which was written by Webb Pierce (Monday 8 August 1921 – Sunday 24 February 1991) and Tommy Hill, was the first country music hit single to feature a steel guitar.
(Sunday 19 December 1920 – Friday 2 January 2015)
In 1955, Little Jimmy Dickens (Sunday 19 December 1920 – Friday 2 January 2015) heard Buddy Emmons playing with Casey Clark and offered him a job with his band so, at the age of eighteen, in July 1955, Buddy Emmons moved to Nashville.
Little Jimmy Dickens‘ band was then considered one of the hottest bands in country music, with complex arrangements and fast twin guitar harmonies.
Little Jimmy 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 Emmons’ originals, two of which, ‘Raising The Dickens’ (1956) and ‘Buddy’s Boogie’ (1957), quickly became steel guitar standards.
Little Jimmy Dickens (Sunday 19 December 1920 – Friday 2 January 2015) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Raisin’ The Dickens’ (an instrumental) and included the track on ‘Raisin’ The Dickens’ (Columbia Records, 1957).
Buddy Emmons also appeared with The Country Boys, on a few occasions, on the hallowed stage of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Buddy Emmons also recorded a pair of solo singles for Columbia Records, ‘Cold Rolled Steel’ in 1956 and ‘Silver Bells’ in 1957.
In 1956, Little Jimmy Dickens (Sunday 19 December 1920 – Friday 2 January 2015) dissolved his band in order to perform as a solo act.
It was also at this time when Buddy Emmons began undertaking recording sessions in Nashville.
One of Buddy Emmons’ first studio recording sessions resulted in Faron Young’s hit version of ‘Sweet Dreams’, which was written by Don Gibson (Tuesday 3 April 1928 – Monday 17 November 2003) and which was subsequently included on ‘This is Faron Young’ (Capitol Records, 1958); the track reached No.2 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1956.
In late 1956, Buddy Emmons contributed a major innovation to the evolution of the pedal steel guitar by splitting the function of the two pedals which 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 Emmons recalled that he first used this ‘split-pedal’ innovation on Ernest Tubb’s ‘Half A Mind (To Leave You)’ (No.8, 1958), which became a country music classic and was subsequently included on Ernest Tubb’s ‘Greatest Hits’ (Decca Records, 1968).
By 1957, Buddy Emmons, who by this time was nicknamed ‘The Big E’ because of both his six-foot height and musical prowess, had joined Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours.
Buddy Emmons’ first recording with Ernest Tubb, “Half A Mind (To Leave You)”, quickly became a hit record, and has since become a classic country music standard.
In 1958, Buddy Emmons quit Ernest Tubb’s band and moved to California. Eight months later, Buddy Emmons 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.
In the late 1950s, Buddy Emmons also began playing occasionally with Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours on ‘Midnight Jamboree’.
Ray Price
(Tuesday 12 January 1926 – Monday 16 December 2013)
In 1962, Buddy Emmons left Ernest Tubb to join Ray Price (Tuesday 12 January 1926 – Monday 16 December 2013) & The Cherokee Cowboys, replacing his long-time friend, steel-guitarist Jimmy Day (Tuesday 9 January 1934 – Friday 22 January 1999).
In September 1962, Buddy Emmons’ first recording session with Ray Price produced the hit song, ‘You Took Her Off My Hands’, which was written by Harlan Howard (Thursday 8 September 1927 – Sunday 3 March 2002), Skeets McDonald (Friday 1 October 1915 – Sunday 31 March 1968) and Wynn Stewart (Thursday 7 June 1934 – Wednesday 17 July 1985); the track was subsequently included on Ray Price‘s ‘Burning Memories’ (Columbia Records, 1965).
On ‘You Took Her Off My Hands’, Buddy Emmons used another of his major steel guitar innovations, that of 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.
Buddy Emmons’ playing over the next several years with Ray Price (Tuesday 12 January 1926 – Monday 16 December 2013) set the benchmark for sophisticated and tasteful steel guitar accompaniment on many of Ray Price‘s hit singles.
Buddy Emmons’ unique moving counterpoint intro on ‘Touch My Heart’ (No.3, 1966) and his jazz-based bluesy intro and solo on ‘Night Life’ (No.28, 1963) established Buddy Emmons as one of the most innovative musicians in Nashville.
Ray Price (Tuesday 12 January 1926 – Monday 16 December 2013) soon appointed Buddy Emmons to be his bandleader, and Buddy Emmons created many of the arrangements on Ray Price‘s recordings over the next several years.
After trying without success to get Shot Jackson interested in his new guitar design ideas, Buddy Emmons left Sho-Bud in 1963 and formed a new guitar manufacturing company, 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 Emmons’ original ‘push/pull’ pitch-changer design are highly sought-after instruments today, due to their outstanding tone and durability.
Another musical milestone was Buddy Emmons’ ‘Steel Guitar Jazz’ (Mercury Records, 1963), an album which was recorded in New York City in 1963. The first jazz album featuring a steel guitar and recorded with established jazz session-players, Buddy Emmons’ ‘Steel Guitar Jazz’ (Mercury Records, 1963) received praise from Downbeat, the highly respected jazz magazine.
Buddy Emmons’ ‘Steel Guitar Jazz’ (Mercury Records, 1963) included the following tracks:
‘Bluemmons’
‘Anytime’ (written by Herbert ‘Happy’ Lawson)
‘Where Or When’ (written by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers)
‘(Back Home Again In) Indiana’ (written by James F. Hanley and Ballard MacDonald)
‘Gravy Waltz’ (written by Steve Allen and Ray Brown)
‘Oleo’ (written by Sonny Rollins)
‘The Preacher’ (written by Horace Silver)
‘Cherokee’ (written by Ray Noble)
‘Witchcraft’ (written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh)
‘Gonna Build A Mountain’ (written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley)
‘There Will Never Be Another You’ (written by Irving Gordon and Harry Warren)
Buddy Emmons’ ‘Steel Guitar Jazz’ (Mercury Records, 1963), which was originally released in the United States by Mercury Records in September 1963, was re-issued by Mercury Records in Japan in 1978, by Verve Records in the United States in 2003, and by Euphoria Jazz / Sundazed Music in the United States in 2008.
Ray Price (Tuesday 12 January 1926 – Monday 16 December 2013) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Are You Sure’ (co-written with Willie Nelson) and included the track on ‘Night Life’ (Columbia Records, 1963).
Willie Nelson recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Are You Sure’ (co-written with Willie Nelson) and included the track on ‘Country Willie – His Own Songs’ (RCA Victor Records, 1965).
Ray Price recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Are You Sure’ (co-written with Willie Nelson) and included the track on ‘Burning Memories’ (Columbia Records, 1965).
In 1965, Buddy Emmons teamed up with fellow steel guitar player Harold Bradley ‘Shot’ Jackson (Saturday 4 September 1920 – Thursday 24 January 1991) to record ‘The Steel Guitar & Dobro Sounds of Shot Jackson & Buddy Emmons’ (Starday Records, 1965).
This led Buddy Emmons and Harold Bradley ‘Shot’ Jackson (Saturday 4 September 1920 – Thursday 24 January 1991) to create the Sho-Bud Company, which sold an innovative steel guitar that used push-rod pedals.
Buddy Emmons continued to record and tour with Ray Price (Tuesday 12 January 1926 – Monday 16 December 2013) until 1967 and, between tours with Ray Price, did recording session work with a number of Nashville country music artists, including George Jones (Saturday 12 September 1931 – Friday 26 April 2013) and Melba Montgomery.
Buddy Emmons decided to leave The Cherokee Cowboys, largely due to his disenchantment with Ray Price‘s growing interest in performing pop-style country music with string orchestrations.
Thursday 2 January 1936 – Sunday 25 October 1992
In 1967, Buddy Emmons’ long-time friend, songwriter Roger Miller (Thursday 2 January 1936 – Sunday 25 October 1992), offered him a job in his band in California.
Buddy Emmons then moved to Los Angeles, playing bass in Roger Miller’s band and doing studio work on pedal steel guitar.
Buddy Emmons first recording session in Los Angeles was on Judy Collins’ classic reading of ‘Someday Soon’ (written by Ian Tyson), which was included on ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’ (Elektra Records, 1968).
Buddy Emmons soon began recording with a wide range of artists, including The Carpenters, Nancy Sinatra, Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 – Wednesday 19 September 1973), John Sebastian and Ray Charles (Tuesday 23 September 1930 – Thursday 10 June 2004), as well as recording jingles, commercials, and movie soundtracks for Enrico Nicola ‘Henry’ Mancini (Wednesday 16 April 1924 – Tuesday 14 June 1994).
Jerry Lee Lewis (Sunday 29 September 1935 – Friday 28 October 2022) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Thirteen At The Table’ and included the track on ‘Would You Take Another Chance On Me’ (Mercury Records, 1971).
In 1973, Buddy Emmons quit Roger Miller’s band and signed a solo contract, and saw the release of several albums in the late 1970s.
In 1974, Buddy Emmons returned to Nashville, where he quickly resumed studio work with a number of artists, including Mel Tillis (Monday 8 August 1932 – Sunday 19 November 2017), Donna Fargo, Duane Eddy and Charlie Walker (Tuesday 2 November 1926 – Friday 12 September 2008).
Beginning in 1974, Buddy Emmons became a regularly featured performer at the annual International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis, Missouri.
BJ Thomas (Friday 7 August 1942 – Saturday 29 May 2021) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Help Me Make It (To My Rockin’ Chair)’ and included the track on ‘Help Me Make It (To My Rockin’ Chair)’ (ABC Records, 1975).
In 1976, Buddy Emmons recorded a highly regarded tribute to the great Western Swing artist Bob Wills (Monday 6 March 1905 – Tuesday 13 May 1975), on which he sang lead vocal and played steel guitar.
Buddy Emmons continued to undertake session work throughout the 1980s and 1990s with a number of artists, including John Hartford (Thursday 30 December 1937 – Monday 4 June 2001), George Strait, Gene Watson and Ricky Skaggs.
In 1977, Buddy Emmons teamed up with Danny Gatton (Tuesday 4 September 1945 – Tuesday 4 October 1994) for occasional gigs, and then, in 1978, they toured as the band Redneck Jazz Explosion.
On Saturday 30 December 1978 and Sunday 31 December 1978, Buddy Emmons and Danny Gatton (Tuesday 4 September 1945 – Tuesday 4 October 1994) recorded the album, ‘Redneck Jazz’, live at The Cellar Door in Washington, D.C.
It was also in 1977 when Buddy Emmons played steel guitar and resonator / Dobro on Christian singer, Don Francisco’s album, ‘Forgiven’ (NewPax Records, 1977), which was recorded at Sound Stage Studio in Nashville and included the following tracks:
‘Jesus Is Lord of The Way I Feel’
‘Jehoshaphat’
‘Step Across The Line’
‘I Could Never Promise You’
‘He’s Alive’
‘I Don’t Care Where You’ve Been Sleeping’
‘Don’t Want To Be Late’
‘Lullabye’
‘Adam, Where Are You?’
Personnel involved in the recording of Don Francisco’s ‘Forgiven’ (NewPax Records, 1977) included the following:
Joe Osborn (bass)
Larrie Londin (Friday 15 October 1943 – Monday 24 August 1992) (drums)
Buddy Spicher (fiddle)
Steve Gibson (guitar)
Buddy Emmons (Wednesday 27 January 1937 – Wednesday 29 July 2015) (steel guitar)
Shane Keister (keyboards)
Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics of Love)’, which was co-written with Lincoln Wayne ‘Chips’ Moman (Saturday 12 June 1937 – Monday 13 June 2016), and included the track on ‘Ol’ Waylon’ (RCA Victor Records, 1977); the track was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for five weeks in May / June 1977.
Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002) & Willie Nelson recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want To Get Over You)’, which was co-written with Lincoln Wayne ‘Chips’ Moman (Saturday 12 June 1937 – Monday 13 June 2016), and included the track on ‘Waylon & Willie’ (RCA Records, 1978); the track was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for two weeks in 1977.
In 1977, Lloyd Green, a highly in-demand studio steel guitarist, said of Buddy Emmons:
‘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′
In 1978, Buddy Emmons (American pedal steel guitarist) & Lenny Breau (Tuesday 5 August 1941 – Sunday 12 August 1984) (Canadian guitarist) saw the release of ‘Minors Aloud’ (Flying Fish Records, 1978) (subtitled ‘Minors Aloud: Buddy Emmons with Lenny Breau’), which included the following tracks:
‘Minors Aloud’, which was written by Buddy Emmons (Wednesday 27 January 1937 – Wednesday 29 July 2015) and Lenny Breau (Tuesday 5 August 1941 – Sunday 12 August 1984)
‘Compared To What’, which was written by Eugene ‘Gene’ Booker McDaniels (Tuesday 12 February 1935 – Friday 29 July 2011)
‘Killer Joe’ (written by Benny Golson)
‘Long Way To Go’ (written by Michael Melford and Wolf Opper)
‘Secret Love’, which was written by Sammy Fain (17 June 1902 – Wednesday 6 December 1989) and Paul Francis Webster (20 December 1907 – Sunday 18 March 1984)
‘Scrapple From The Apple’, which was written by Charlie Parker (Sunday 29 August 1920 – Saturday 12 March 1955)
‘On A Bach Bouree’, which was written by Lenny Breau (Tuesday 5 August 1941 – Sunday 12 August 1984)
Personnel involved in the recording of Buddy Emmons & Lenny Breau’s ‘Minors Aloud’ (Flying Fish Records, 1978) included the following:
Buddy Emmons (Wednesday 27 January 1937 – Wednesday 29 July 2015) (pedal steel guitar)
Lenny Breau (Tuesday 5 August 1941 – Sunday 12 August 1984) (guitar)
Randy Goodrum (keyboards)
Charles Dungey (bass)
Kenny Malone (Thursday 4 August 1938 – Thursday 26 August 2021) (drums)
In 2005, Buddy Emmons & Lenny Breau’s ‘Minors Aloud’ (Flying Fish Records, 1978) was digitally re-mastered and re-issued, on CD, by Art of Life, and included a six-page booklet, original and new liner notes, and a copy of the lead sheet for the title track, which was handwritten by Lenny Breau himself.
In his liner notes for the re-issue, Buddy Emmons stated: ‘…producer Mike Melford asked me if I would be interested in recording with Lenny Breau. My response was a quick ‘yes’, but on the condition that Lenny would be the featured artist and I’d be listed as a guest.
I learned later that Lenny hadn’t been told anything about the project other than to just show up. With a few days preparation and a little polish to the arrangements, this would have been a different album.
For better or worse, we’ll never know, but I do know the solos were spontaneous, the energy level was fantastic, and we all had a great time getting there’
In May 1980, John Conlee saw the release of ‘Friday Night Blues’ (MCA Records, 1980), which included three tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘Friday Night Blues’ (written by Sonny Throckmorton and Rafe Van Hoy) (No.2, 1980)
‘She Can’t Say That Anymore’ (written by Sonny Throckmorton) (No.2, 1980)
‘What I Had With You’, which was written by Curly Putman (Thursday 20 November 1930 – Sunday 30 October 2016) and Sonny Throckmorton (No.12, 1981)
John Conlee‘s ‘Friday Night Blues’ (MCA Records, 1980) also included the following tracks:
‘Honky Tonk Toys’, which was written by Arthur Leo ‘Doodle’ Owens (Friday 28 November 1930 – Monday 4 October 1999) and Judy Vowell
‘Old Fashioned Love’, which was written by Don Cook and Jamie O’Hara (Friday 18 August 1950 – Thursday 7 January 2021)
‘Misery Loves Company’, which was written by Jerry Reed Hubbard (Saturday 20 March 1937 – Monday 1 September 2008)
‘Let’s Get Married Again’, which was written by Rory Bourke, Charlie Black (Wednesday 23 November 1949 – Friday 23 April 2021) and Jerry Gillespie
‘When I’m Out of You’, which was written by Sanger D. ‘Whitey’ Shafer (Wednesday 24 October 1934 – Saturday 12 January 2019) and Sonny Throckmorton
‘We Belong In Love Tonight’ (written by Mark Paden)
‘Always True’ (written by David Loggins)
Personnel involved in the recording of John Conlee‘s ‘Friday Night Blues’ (MCA Records, 1980) included the following:
John Propst (piano)
Larrie Londin (Friday 15 October 1943 – Monday 24 August 1992) (drums, percussion)
Steve ‘Juke’ Logan (saxophone)
Mark Casstevens (guitar)
Brent Rowan (guitar)
Joe Osborn (bass)
Buddy Emmons (Wednesday 27 January 1937 – Wednesday 29 July 2015) (steel guitar)
Mitch Humphries
Mark Paden
Tommy Williams (fiddle)
Lea Jane Berinati, Janie Fricke, Jackie Cusic and Todd Cerney (backing vocals)
John Conlee‘s ‘Friday Night Blues’ (MCA Records, 1980) reached No.16 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart in 1980.
Gary Stewart (Sunday 28 May 1944 – Tuesday 16 December 2003) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Okeechobee Purple’ (co-written with Chips Moman) and included the track on ‘Cactus & A Rose’ (RCA Records, 1980).
Gary Stewart (Sunday 28 May 1944 – Tuesday 16 December 2003) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Cactus & A Rose’ (co-written with Chips Moman) and included the track on ‘Cactus & A Rose’ (RCA Records, 1980); the track reached No.48 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1980.
Gary Stewart (Sunday 28 May 1944 – Tuesday 16 December 2003) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Staring Each Other Down’ (co-written with Chips Moman) and included the track on ‘Cactus & A Rose’ (RCA Records, 1980).
Gary Stewart (Sunday 28 May 1944 – Tuesday 16 December 2003) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘We Made it As Lovers (We Just Couldn’t Make It As Friends)’ (co-written with Chips Moman) and included the track on ‘Cactus & A Rose’ (RCA Records, 1980.
In 1981, Buddy Emmons was inducted into The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.
Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Women Do Know How To Carry On’ (co-written with Waylon Jennings) and included the track on ‘Black On Black’ (RCA Records, 1982); the track reached No.4 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1982.
Johnny Cash (Friday 26 February 1932 – Friday 12 September 2003) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Love Me Like You Used To’, which was co-written with Paul Davis (Wednesday 21 April 1948 – Tuesday 22 April 2008), and included the track on ‘Rainbow’ (Columbia Records, 1985).
Ricky Skaggs recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Raisin’ The Dickens’ and included the track on ‘Love’s Gonna Get Ya!’ (Epic Records, 1986).
Tanya Tucker recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Love Me Like You Used To’, which was co-written with Paul Davis (Wednesday 21 April 1948 – Tuesday 22 April 2008), and included the track on ‘Love Me Like You Used To’ (Capitol Records, 1987); the track reached No.2 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1987.
In 2010, Tanya Tucker‘s ‘Love Me Like You Used To’ (Capitol Records, 1987), along with Tanya Tucker‘s ‘Girls Like Me’ (Capitol Records, 1986), was re-issued by Hump Head Records, as a ‘2-on-1’ CD set, ‘Girls Like Me / Love Me Like You Used To’ (Hump Head Records, 2010).
In 1988, Buddy Emmons and Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020) formed The Swing Shift Band, and began producing a highly regarded series of albums for Step One Records, which included Big Band Swing and Western Swing, along with original country songs.
On Monday 1 August 1988, The Swing Shift Band, with Buddy Emmons & Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020), saw the release of ‘Swing & Other Things’ (Step One Records, 1988), which included the following tracks:
‘(Turn Me Loose &) Let Me Swing’, which was written by Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020)
‘Caravan’ (written by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Juan Tizol)
‘Bonaparte’s Retreat’, which was written by Pee Wee King (Wednesday 18 February 1914 – Tuesday 7 March 2000) and Redd Stewart (Sunday 27 May 1923 – Saturday 2 August 2003)
‘Perdido’ (written by Ervin Drake, H.J. Lengsfelder and Juan Tizol)
‘Midnight Comes & Goes’ (written by Mel Holt)
‘Fat Boy Rag’, which was written by Junior Barnard, L. R. Bernard, Lester Barnard Jr., Barnard Wills and Bob Wills (Monday 6 March 1905 – Tuesday 13 May 1975)
‘Blue of A Kind’, which was written by Mel Holt and Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020)
‘Same Old Me’ (written by Paul Overstreet)
‘Columbus Stockade Blues’, which was written by Jimmie Davis (11 September 1899 – Sunday 5 November 2000) and Eva Sargent
‘Blue Eyes’ (written by Elton John and Gary Osborne)
‘Loose Tights’, which was written by Buddy Emmons (Wednesday 27 January 1937 – Wednesday 29 July 2015)
‘Sugar Moon’, which was written by Cindy Walker (Saturday 20 July 1918 – Thursday 23 March 2006) and Bob Wills (Monday 6 March 1905 – Tuesday 13 May 1975)
‘You & Me’, which was written by George Richey (Saturday 30 November 1935 – Saturday 31 July 2010) and Billy Sherrill (Thursday 5 November 1936 – Tuesday 4 August 2015)
‘Texas With The X Removed’ (written by Mel Holt)
‘Take The ‘A’ Train’ (written by Billy Strayhorn)
‘My Weakness Is Too Strong’, which was written by Thomas Bailey ‘Bunky’ Keels (Thursday 11 January 1934 – Monday 29 November 2004) and Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020)
‘Midnight In Old Amarillo’ (written by Billy Bowman)
‘I’m Getting Nowhere (At Getting Over You)’, which was written by Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020)
‘The Memory’, which was written by Charlotte Pennington and Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020)
‘Moonlight Serenade’, which was written by Alton Glenn Miller (Tuesday 1 March 1904 – missing in action: Friday 15 December 1944)) and Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (Tuesday 10 July 1900 – Wednesday 31 March 1993)
‘The Good Ole Days Are Right Now’, which was written by Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020)
In 1989, The Swing Shift Band, with Buddy Emmons and Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020), saw the release of ‘In The Mood For Swinging With Buddy Emmons & Ray Pennington’ (Step One Records, 1989), which included the following tracks:
‘In The Mood’ (written by Joe Garland and Andy Razaf)
‘Careless Hands’ (written by Billy Myles)
‘Country Club’, which was written by Buddy Emmons (Wednesday 27 January 1937 – Wednesday 29 July 2015)
‘The Kind of Love I Can’t Forget’ (written by Jesse Ashlock)
‘Don’t Worry, I’m Not Staying Very Long’, which was written by Hank Cochran (Friday 2 August 1935 – Thursday 15 July 2010) and Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020)
‘Tuxedo Junction’ (written by Julian Dash, Buddy Feyne, Erskine Hawkins and William Johnson)
‘Good Ole Country Mood’, which was written by Dave Kirby (Sunday 10 July 1938 – Saturday 17 April 2004)
‘A String of Pearls’ (written by Eddie DeLange and Jerry Gray)
‘My Kind of Girl’ (written by Leslie Bricusse)
‘Curtain Call’
‘When You’ve Seen One Broken Heart (You’ve Seen Them All)’ (written by Mel Holt)
‘Undecided’ (written by Sydney Robin and Charlie Shavers)
‘Home In San Antone’, which was written by Floyd Jenkins / Fred Rose (24 August 1898 – Wednesday 1 December 1954)
In 1991, Buddy Emmons began touring with The Everly Brothers – Don Everly (Monday 1 February 1937 – Saturday 21 August 2021) and Phil Everly (Thursday 19 January 1939 – Friday 3 January 2014) – an association which continued until 2001.
In 1998, Buddy Emmons discontinued doing regular session work in order to to tour with The Everly Brothers.
Dean Dillon recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘The Umbrella Song’ (co-written with Dean Dillon) and included the track on ‘Out of Your Ever Lovin’ Mind’ (Atlantic Records, 1991).
George Strait recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘So Much Like My Dad’, which was co-written with Lincoln Wayne ‘Chips’ Moman (Saturday 12 June 1937 – Monday 13 June 2016), and included the track on ‘Holding My Own’ (MCA Records, 1992).
Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Lot of Good’ (co-written with Troy Seals and Waylon Jennings) and included the track on ‘Too Dumb For New York City – Too Ugly For L.A.’ (Epic Records, 1992).
In 1992, Katy Moffatt saw the release of the highly acclaimed album, ‘Dance Me Outside’ (Philo Records, 1992), a duets project with her brother, the extraordinarily talented Hugh Moffatt, which included the following tracks:
‘It’s Been Decided’ (written by Michael H. Goldsen and Tom Kell)
‘We’ll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning’, which was written by Joyce Ann Allsup (1939 – Sunday 15 May 2016)
‘On The Borderline’ (written by Hugh Moffatt)
‘I Get Lonely For You’ (written by Hugh Moffatt)
‘I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby’, which was written by Robert Autry Inman (Sunday 6 January 1929 – Tuesday 6 September 1988)
‘Dance Me Outside’ (written by Tom Russell)
‘Right Over Me’ (written by Greg Leisz and Katy Moffatt)
‘La Luna’ (written by Hugh Moffatt)
‘Making New’ (written by Hugh Moffatt)
‘Walking On The Moon’ (written by Katy Moffatt and Tom Russell)
‘The Dark End of The Street’, which was written by Lincoln Wayne ‘Chips’ Moman (Saturday 12 June 1937 – Monday 13 June 2016) and Dan Penn
Personnel involved in the recording of Hugh Moffatt & Katy Moffatt‘s ‘Dance Me Outside’ (Philo Records, 1992) included the following:
Buddy Emmons (Wednesday 27 January 1937 – Wednesday 29 July 2015) (steel guitar, Dobro)
Tim O’Brien (mandolin)
Stuart Duncan (fiddle)
Albert Lee (lead guitar)
Buddy Emmons is one of the steel guitar playing elite within the country music industry in Nashville and, between 1993 and 1997, has left his indelible steel guitar sound on a number of Gene Watson’s albums.
Buddy Emmons played steel guitar on a number of Gene Watson albums, including the following:
• ‘Uncharted Mind‘ (Step One Records, 1993)
• ‘The Good Ole Days‘ (Step One Records, 1996)
• ‘Jesus is All I Need‘ (Step One Records, 1997)
• ‘A Way to Survive‘ (Step One Records, 1997)
Willie Nelson, with special guest Curtis Potter (Thursday 18 April 1940 – Saturday 23 January 2016)), recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Are You Sure’ (co-written with Willie Nelson) and included the track on ‘Six Hours At Pedernales’ (Step One Records, 1994).
Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002) recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Most Sensible Thing’ (co-written with Troy Seals and Waylon Jennings) and included the track on ‘Right For The Time’ (Justice Records, 1996).
On Tuesday 22 July 1997, The Swing Shift Band, with Buddy Emmons & Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020), saw the release of ‘Goin’ Out Swingin’ (Step One Records, 1997), which included the following tracks:
‘Boggs’ Boogie’ (written by Noel Boggs, Donnel Clyde Cooley and Jimmy Wyble)
‘Walkin’ My Baby Back Home’ (written by Fred E. Ahlert, Les Brown and Roy Turk)
‘S Wonderful’ (written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin)
‘Lazy River’ (written by Sidney Arodin and Hoagy Carmichael)
‘Wills Point’
‘Darktown Strutters’ Ball’
‘Shiny Stockings’ (written by Frank Foster)
‘The Next Best Thing’, which was written by Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020) and Sharon Pennington
‘Drownin’ My Troubles’, which was written by Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020)
‘The Day You Left Me’, which was written by Cindy Walker (Saturday 20 July 1918 – Thursday 23 March 2006)
‘The Heart of A Clown’ (written by Frances Kane, Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins)
‘Won’t You Ride In My Little Red Wagon’, which was written by Rex Griffin (Monday 12 August 1912 – Sunday 11 October 1959)
‘Woman, Go On Home’
‘So Many Ways To Say Goodbye’, which was written by Ray Pennington (Friday 22 December 1933 – Wednesday 7 October 2020)
In 2001, Buddy Emmons’ zealous practice schedule caught up with him and he began to suffer from a painful repetitive motion injury to his right thumb and wrist, which caused him to stop playing for over a year.
Though fully recovered, Buddy Emmons chose not to return to regular recording session work, but did record with a number of artists he had known for many years, including Ray Price (Tuesday 12 January 1926 – Monday 16 December 2013), Johnny Bush (Sunday 17 February 1935 – Friday 16 October 2020) and Willie Nelson.
Buddy Emmons continued to perform at steel guitar shows, and occasionally on American Public Media’s ‘A Prairie Home Companion’.
In 2001, Buddy Emmons came out of retirement to play steel guitar, on all tracks, on Gene Watson‘s ‘From The Heart‘ (RMG Records, 2001).
On Wednesday 19 December 2007, Peggy Emmons died unexpectedly.
On Tuesday 25 September 2012, Saguaro Road Records released ‘Goin’ Down Rockin’: The Last Recordings’ (Saguaro Road Records, 2012), a posthumous album by Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002), which included eight unreleased songs, written and recorded by Waylon Jennings, along with his bassist Robby Turner, during the last years of his life, as well as eight songs never released before in any version. One of the included tracks was ‘If My Harley Was Runnin’ ‘, which was written by Waylon Jennings, Buddy Emmons and Troy Seals.
On Wednesday 29 July 2015, Buddy Emmons passed away.
Buddy Emmons had three granddaughters, Crystal, Nikia (who passed away in 2004) and Brittany, and two grandsons, Levon and Buddie III.
Buddy Emmons’ wife Peggy often accompanied him to steel guitar shows and conventions, and helped Buddy Emmons meet fans and sell recordings and videos.
Kacey Musgraves recorded Buddy Emmons’ ‘Are You Sure’ (co-written with Willie Nelson) and included the track on ‘Pageant Material’ (Mercury Nashville Records, 2015); the original version of this track was recorded by Willie Nelson, who included it on ‘Country Willie: His Own Songs’ (RCA Victor Records, 1965).
Buddy Gene Emmons
(Wednesday 27 January 1937 – Wednesday 29 July 2015)
• Visit Buddy Emmons’ official site at buddyemmons.com