Buddy Emmons

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 25 Sep 2014 7:19 am

I have had the pleasure of watching and listening to Buddy, I believe since the 50,s, and IMO he has continued to just get better and better. I believe someone here on the Forum wrote that Buddy will practice a lick for hours until he gets it right and IMO, up to his standards. I wonder if there will ever be another to come along with the discipline to achieve such quality with the psg? I have a friend nearby that practices 3 hours a day seven days a week and it shows when he plays. I would like to thank all the "heavy hitters" for their talented achievements with the psg and especially Buddy Emmons. Well, let's all have a great weekend.

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 25 Sep 2014 3:29 pm

Aren't you from Maryland? I have an idea who your friend may be.

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 25 Sep 2014 3:36 pm

I Don't Know Where Charles Is From, But He Has Posted On The Forum 2741 Times.

Roger

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 25 Sep 2014 10:32 pm

Charles;

I honestly don't think there will be another player that will come along that would be willing dedicate as much of themselves into playing as Buddy did. His was all day every day. When he wasn't picking he was thinking about picking and when he wasn't thinking about picking he was thinking about effects, design, set up and advancing the steel guitar. The steel guitar came before everything, including family and friends. Peggy was able to reign him in to some degree, but by then he had already devoted a good portion of his life to playing. I believe he's one of a kind...

He may be retired and not play anymore, but he's still working on an extended C6 tuning all in his head.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 26 Sep 2014 12:57 am

It never fails--Get around a bunch of old steel players, somebody's gonna say, "Buddy Emmons is the best steel guitar player that ever was," and somebody else will say, "or ever will be."

And they're exactly right. His licks, his taste, his work under the hood--I can't think of anybody, in any genre of music, that's done as much for his instrument. And a good steel guitarist will say the same. Doug Jernigan and Ron Elliot are both incredible players--But ask either one who's the all-time best...

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 26 Sep 2014 3:33 am

Andy Volk's "Lap Steel Guitar" book brings up the point that Buddy, AND Paul Franklin, would get up in the morning, practice, drink some coffee, practice, eat, practice.... then unhook the top doohickie and take it to bed so they could practice with it laying on their stomach while they were asleep. And then get up in the morning and practice.

There's bound to be kids doing this right now, somewhere - you can't entirely wipe out the urge to be the best with Prozac. This kind of behavior used to be entirely common in Indian music training regimes, and in the Jewish ghettos of Eastern & Central Europe where the wedding band musicians realized junior's ONLY way outta there was to be playing & reading music before they could even speak or read German/Polish/Czech - which is why there was a complete takeover of the classical music world back there a ways.

It's right there if you want it. Tennis players & marathoners and the like still consider this to be pretty normal, but I'm pretty sure all this "connectiveness" is going to wipe most Western children off the face of the musical map when all is said and done. Why learn to play a song on your guitar - when you can play it on your phone? There's an awful lot of skilled "typists" in the shreddy side of electric guitar - but the "greatest" blues guitarist of this generation (Bonamassa) sounds astonishingly cold, to me - pure science. You can take internet courses on "how to add emotion" to your playing. (!)(?) Like, that's gonna sound real.... But, I strongly suspect that the "next big thing" is just, coming from somewhere else.

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 26 Sep 2014 7:58 am

I agree with Stephen. IMO, the arrival of Buddy and the psg seemed to come along in time at the right time, and Buddy will always be motivational to a lot of us. I guess that I've made a lot of posts on the Forum, but I'm sure that I've never said anything bad about anyone. To me, the Forum is "family" and I visit regularly. Yes, I live here in Maryland, where I retired from the military and you probably know who I was referring to; and IMO, he is a terrific musician and just one of the greatest guys I've ever met.

Gary Lee Gimble · Post by **Gary Lee Gimble** » 26 Sep 2014 8:53 am

I can't think of anybody, in any genre of music, that's done as much for his instrument.

Sonny Osborne can, and he'll add there is only one "Big E."

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 26 Sep 2014 8:59 am

My steel playing idol since the late '50's. When Buddy goes, he might as well take me with him...

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 27 Sep 2014 11:16 am

Ernie, I can only imagine the pleasure that you have had with your friendship with Buddy and bringing the rest of us some occasional news items from Buddy. I was so sorry to hear of Peggy's passing and I believe that Buddy once commented on how she dealt with some problems. My wife and I have just celebrated our 59th wedding anniversary and I continue to love her more all the time and every night I pray to God that we will be together for eternity, and I know that there is a life after this. Thank you Gary for your wonderful friendship and happy Rosh Hashanah my friend.

Gary Lee Gimble · Post by **Gary Lee Gimble** » 27 Sep 2014 3:20 pm

Happy #59 Charles

Marty Broussard · Post by **Marty Broussard** » 28 Sep 2014 7:23 am

Ernie, when I attended Jeff's school in '81 Buddy played one evening. It was beyond awesome. The next day Jeff commented on how much time Buddy spent practicing. I'Be always wondered if Buddy had a structured regimen to help him attain some goals. (Scales, certain aspects of theory, right hand technique, etc). Surely he didn't just randomly sit there and doodle for all these years. Please provide any insights. I finally found a post where he explained how he came up with the Night Life intro. So interesting. And who would have guessed he would practice in the dark?! I wish I'd have been advanced enough to ask him several similar questions at that '81 concert. Anything else you can tell us would welcomed.

Best regards

Jake Hoffman · Post by **Jake Hoffman** » 28 Sep 2014 3:58 pm

I remember seeing Mark O'Conner at the Weiser Fiddle Festival in the late 70's. I never saw him without a fiddle in his hand, playing 16 hours a day. He had no other life. Sometimes I wonder what a balanced life would have done to him. Same for Buddy. I saw him in Reno NV in the late 70's (MGM Grand). All or nothing. That's what it takes to be an icon. Are you willing?

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 29 Sep 2014 12:32 pm

Buddy must have had the right balance of, time, talent and discipline to achieve what he did. It takes all three and maybe more to achieve just being a great player. I just can't imagine what devotion he had and yes, he is the best.

Roger Francis · Post by **Roger Francis** » 30 Sep 2014 6:15 am

Deleted misinfo

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 30 Sep 2014 6:48 am

Roger,
I think you'd better double check that information.

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 30 Sep 2014 7:05 am

Buddy doesn't have a degree in music. He learned in the school of hard knocks. He said when he moved to CA in the 70's, he learned to read music to play sessions in LA.

Roger, I told him what you posted. His reply was, "I wish."

Roger Francis · Post by **Roger Francis** » 30 Sep 2014 7:41 am

It was back in the 70s when i read that so probably misinfo.
I found this to bring me up to date. Thanks Erv for calling me out on that

He was born Buddy Gene Emmons.[3] When he was 11 years old, his father bought him a 6-string lap steel guitar and signed Buddy up for lessons at the Hawaiian Conservatory of Music in South Bend, Indiana, which Buddy dutifully attended for about a year.

Thanks Ernie, well at least hes not mad at me if he laughed

Ill delete that info

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 30 Sep 2014 7:51 am

Hell, when he was too young for college, he and Sonny were teenage roommates at a boardinghouse in Nashville. I suspect that was an interesting room.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 30 Sep 2014 10:40 am

Not to hi-jack this thread,,,,I posted the following
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=272544

Buck Reid · Post by **Buck Reid** » 30 Sep 2014 3:05 pm

I think Jake Hoffman nailed it. A yearning in your belly and an unwillingness to compromise. And then of course there is the "gift"!