(Bobby, please excuse the plug in this section but I couldn't resist).
Coming in ONE Month August 20th: "The Big E - A Salute to Steel Guitarist Buddy Emmons." 16 songs, 11 artists, 14 steel players all paying tribute to the greatest of them all, Buddy Emmons.
Featuring Little Jimmy Dickens, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, John Anderson, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Duane Eddy, Albert Lee, Chris Stapleton, Joanie Keller Johnson and Raul Malo all singing newly recorded tracks historically tied to Buddy's amazing career. Tommy White, Paul Franklin, Dan Dugmore, Randle Currie, Greg Leisz, JayDee Maness, Doug Jernigan, Mike Johnson, Buck Reid, Roosevelt Collier and Norm Hamlet all add their steel guitar mastery to this celebration of Buddy's music.
Includes extensive liner notes and rare, never-before-seen photos.
Produced by Steve Fishell, the project is a benefit for the Country Music Hall of Fame. All profits will be donated to the Hall in the name of Peggy Emmons.
Many thanks to everyone who donated their time and talents, despite their hectic schedules, to help make this recording a reality. This could not have happened without your help!
You, Paul Franklin and especially Vince Gill are tearing it up on "Country Boy," an early Little Jimmy Dickens single and an early favorite of Vince's father. Wow, that track is smokin'!
I want to thank you for all of your time, talent and positive energy helping to make this recording a reality. It was beautiful to see how the music community - including all of the singers, players, engineers and of course the many steel masters - all came together, volunteering to be a part of this TEAM effort out of respect for Buddy.
Advance copies for everyone who played on the CD will be sent out asap, definitely before the release date.
Thanks to everyone involved who may be reading this post. Your hard work, dedication and time are greatly appreciated.
Just received the CD through the Kickstarter project!
This REALLY is an awesome production of epic magnitude simply because the world's top artists give a tribute to the world's biggest steel guitar player, Buddy Emmons.
My hat's off to Steve Fishell for creating such a classy album which will soon be a classic album.
Just downloaded my tracks via the Kickstarter process and listening to it now...it's everything I expected it do be, knowing Steve was guiding the project, and much, much more. Killer job by all and this should be in everyone's record collection! Way to go, Fish!! Head on over and pre-order it now...(did I mention it has 16 tracks, too? What a bargain!)
John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar
I'm listening to it right now, and all I can say is WOW!!
Every track is a keeper. For any steel player, or fan of steel guitar, that doesn't get this album, your really missing out on great playing, great songs, great production, and all for a great cause.
It appears that the rest of the world is noticing Fish's most excellent production as well- here is a review from the upcoming issue of Vintage Guitar Magazine:
"All-Star Tribute to Mr. Pedal Steel
Buddy Gene Emmons stands as one of a handful of pedal steel players who truly advanced the instrument. His innovations as the “Bud†half of Sho-Bud guitars with partner Shot Jackson are just part of it. Emmons was the first pedal steeler to explore bebop and hard bop on his groundbreaking 1963 Steel Guitar Jazz album. That and subsequent solo records inspired generations of steel players, as did his exuberant appearances at steel-guitar conventions worldwide. As a side man, he worked in the bands of Little Jimmy Dickens, Ernest Tubb, and Ray Price, making some of their hits even more memorable. In the L.A. and Nashville studios, he recorded with many, including Ray Charles, Judy Collins, Danny Gatton, Gram Parsons, and John Sebastian. Emmons retired in 2007 following the death of hiswife Peggy. Feeling Buddy merited real recognition, Steve Fishell, ex-Emmylou Harris Hot Band steel guitarist and MPR Records owner, created a star-studded, Kickstarter funded tribute merging singers, steel players, and guitarists. It has Buddy’s blessing. Profits will benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame in Peggy’s name. Vince Gill’s gleeful reprise of the 1949 Jimmy Dickens hit “Country Boy†is explosive, with potent lead guitar and powerful steel solos from Paul Franklin and Opry stalwart Tommy White. In a partial reunion of the Hot Band, Fishell, Harris, and Rodney Crowell revisit the Parsons favorite “That’s All It Took.†John Anderson reprises Tubb’s hit “Half A Mind†with steel by Buck Reid. Backed by Brad Paisley pedal player Randle Currie, Raul Malo offers a powerful rendering of “Night Life,†the 1963 Price hit (written by Willie Nelson) that showcased Emmons as much as Price. Willie, with his own guitar and Mickey Raphael’s harmonica, performs “Are You Sure,†a ballad he and Emmons co-wrote. Singer Chris Stapleton and the steels of Roosevelt Collier and Fishell take on the 1971 Ray Charles version of “Feel So Bad,†which featured Emmons. Greg Leisz offers his take on Emmons’ ’70s recording of “Wild Mountain Thyme.†Duane Eddy and Dan Dugmore tackle “Blue Jade†and Hank Williams’s “Manson On The Hill,†staples of Emmons’ later live shows. “Buddy’s Boogie,†a song he wrote and recorded while working with Dickens, gets a roaring workout from Doug Jernigan. Norm Hamlet, Merle Haggard’s steel player, glides through Price’s “Invitation To The Blues.†Emmons was so integral to John Sebastian’s good natured 1970 “Rainbows All Over Your Blues,†he was even acknowledged in the original lyric, revived here by Albert Lee and JayDee Maness. The most poignant moment, “When Your House Is Not A Home,†features 91-year-old Dickens, a master of ballads, singing his ’50s hit with Dugmore and Eddy. The booklet alone is breathtaking. Fishell provides a detailed Emmons bio, extensive notes on each selection, personnel, rare photos, and a 2010 chat between Emmons and Dickens. This music not only celebrates Emmons by capturing his exuberance and daring, it makes you want to seek out and hear his original recordings. – Rich Kienzle"
Steve--I just opened the cd---I downloaded it as soon as I got notification and now I've got the hard copy---and all I can think of is your cramped hand, with the hand addressed envelope and the handwritten thank you note (times how many?). Damn.
Again, great, great job. I want to single out a favorite performance but then the next track starts.
