Don Everly / Buddy Emmons

Peter Freiberger · Post by **Peter Freiberger** » 15 Jun 2009 5:09 pm

Just found this on YouTube. Steel not credited but who else could have that tone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxOxrbMsY1Q

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 16 Jun 2009 12:02 am

Yes it is Buddy Emmons, with Albert Lee and Ray Smith on acoustic guitars.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 16 Jun 2009 2:50 am

That is so close to perfection one can hardly know the difference !!

Regards, Paul

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 16 Jun 2009 4:56 am

If this was done in the time frame, 1997-2002, there's a good chance that Buddy used the guitar that I have, Emmons PP, SN 6487. There's no way that I'll ever sound like Buddy, my hero, but when I first plugged it into an old Fender Reverb, w/JBL speakers, I thought wow.

Jack Stanton · Post by **Jack Stanton** » 16 Jun 2009 5:53 am

Charles,
The song is from the album "Sunset Towers" recorded in 1974, so odds are the guitar is "The Blade", but I'd like to hear more about your guitar.....

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 16 Jun 2009 1:43 pm

Jack, I bought it here on the Forum, it's 8 & 7 and black. Billy Cooper of Cooper's Music in Orange, Va. picked it from some of his stock and set it up for Buddy. A musician in Pa bought it from Billy, after Billy got it back from Buddy and sold it to me after he had it awhile. In fact he had two PP for sale on the Forum, but when I bought this one he may have kept the other one. Billy had told me about this guitar a few years before it came back. There is an autographed picture of Buddy to Billy in the store thanking him for the guitar. That's as close as I can remember the itinerary at my age. I have no intention of ever selling this guitar as I'm such a huge fan of Buddy Emmons. Just knowing that he had it and used it gives me a lot of personal satisfaction. I guess we all have dreams; mine came true with this.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 23 Sep 2009 4:32 pm

I just got a CD from Amazon with the Sunset Towers and another Don Everly album. If you were thinking of getting these with the hope of more steel guitar by BE as is found on this clip and the other one with Helpless When You're Gone:

DON'T !!

With the exception of a few chime slides and some ring modulator effects, there is nothing else to be heard of steel. Albert Lee gets in a few good licks but the rest is mundane and buried deep in the mix. If you turn it up to listen, the vocal will blast you upon return.

This return of Don Everly on these two clips mentioned earlier, got my curiosity stirred up but it soon became a bore after listenening to 22 tracks of the same thing. No variety other then Did It Rain and Helpless...

Sorry !! Maybe my ears have become too old...

Regards, Paul

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 24 Sep 2009 4:07 pm

NICE!!

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 25 Sep 2009 9:10 am

Concerning the Sunset Towers album Don Everly said about producer Tony Colton: I didn't get along with him at all. So there I was fighting with this producer I had to work with to get this project down. It was another painful experience. I did get vocally what I wanted...

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 25 Sep 2009 12:25 pm

Joachim: I went back and checked my post to see if I spoke ill of Don's singing because I would never want to do that. Apparently I hadn't.

I had a similar session here in Macon at one of the studios where the Alman Brothers recorded at with Phil Walden etc et al. I did one cover cut on an album and couldn't hit my butt with a two by four. I refused to accept payment but almost a year or more later, at my day job, I noticed I was getting all tensed up and stopped the task for a moment. It was then I realized the radio was playing that song and when I got in touch with the singer, he told me it was the only cut from the album that Nashville wanted.

Just shows to go ya !!

Regards, Paul

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 27 Sep 2009 1:27 am

Paul, I don't understand the story completely! Were you playing on the song and did not want to be payed, because you thought your contribution wasn't worth it?
By the way, the Don Everly record "Brother Jukebox" isn't as overproduced as "Sunset Towers". It also features Buddy Emmons.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 27 Sep 2009 6:51 am

Joachim: I was trying to give him what he wanted and went to extremes to do it. He didn't want me to use my Twin Reverb with JBL's and instead I used his Princeton. And no volume control; he would control the volume...Crippled maybe, but I tried and could not satisfy him with anything so we gave up. I wouldn't take the pay because I felt I didn't play anything worth money and was more concerned about my reputation. I didn't think it would ever be heard...

Regards, Paul