Was it Buddy or Buddie?

John Sims · Post by **John Sims** » 13 Feb 2022 12:34 pm

Looks like someone screwed up the front of the steel...

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 13 Feb 2022 12:40 pm

Buddy Gene Emmons was his real name! And Buddy was not a nickname.

Roger Crawford · Post by **Roger Crawford** » 13 Feb 2022 1:22 pm

Buddy went through a phase where he wanted his first and last names to have the same number of letters. He’s the one who put his name on the front of his guitar.

John Sims · Post by **John Sims** » 13 Feb 2022 2:57 pm

That's awesome Roger! One of my best friends and duck hunting buddies was named Buddy at birth...

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 14 Feb 2022 8:02 am

I believe that's the guitar that later belonged to Pete Drake, and he put a piece of leather with his name tooled on it, to cover up BE's name.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 14 Feb 2022 8:04 am

Paul Redmond · Post by **Paul Redmond** » 14 Feb 2022 11:28 am

His birth name was "Buddie" and that's also how it appears on his patents. Somewhere along the line it got changed to "Buddy".
PRR

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 14 Feb 2022 2:16 pm

The definitive answer is here: https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... 57#2165157

Now I'm going to go play my Sho-Bet.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 14 Feb 2022 3:01 pm

Ian Worley wrote:The definitive answer is here: https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... 57#2165157

Now I'm going to go play my Sho-Bet.

That's funny!

So then, it's "Buddy", once and for all.

Bill Ferguson · Post by **Bill Ferguson** » 15 Feb 2022 6:57 am

Skip,
You are correct.

That was Pete's steel, but obviously for that picture, they had to cover up Pete's name.

Can you even imagine someone seeing & hearing Buddy play and thinking that it was Pete Drake. Whew.

No offense to Pete as he sure has his place in history, but definitely not a Big E.

I first met Pete through my mentor, Mac Atcheson. Mac helped Pete learn the instrument.

Roger Crawford · Post by **Roger Crawford** » 15 Feb 2022 5:34 pm

Look closely at the guitar and you can see where the front apron is lighter where Pete’s leather name plate was. It had to stay there quite a while to make that kind of difference.

John Sims · Post by **John Sims** » 16 Feb 2022 1:22 pm

Skip & Bill,

I think this is the same steel that you guys mentioned that Pete had...His "talking" steel guitar!
https://youtu.be/_R9an8AU3No

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 16 Feb 2022 3:14 pm

That's the one...

John Sims · Post by **John Sims** » 16 Feb 2022 3:42 pm

I thought so! It's amazing that he was one of the first to use a voice box at all, at least I don't recall anyone using one that long ago...

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 17 Feb 2022 11:04 am

Buddy claimed that Pete got the idea from him. he recorded a talking steel part on the Cherokee Cowboys Western Strings album

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 21 Feb 2022 8:32 pm

Buddy’s birth certificate said “Betty Jean” until he was around 17 and was planning to get married, but because he was underage he needed permission to marry from his folks. It was then that the error was noticed and legally corrected. So until he was 17 his legal name was Betty Jean Emmons.

Pete’s guitar WAS the “Buddie” guitar. Buddy said he spelled it that was because of an adolescent idea that his first and last name having the same number of letters was desired.

Yes, he and Neil Wilburn invented the talk box, but it distorted too much in the studio. Buddy said he left the contraption in the studio and coincidentally Pete was at the session.

Chris Templeton · Post by **Chris Templeton** » 28 Feb 2022 6:31 am

I called him "Bud" once and he kindly asked me not to call him that.

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 6 Mar 2022 9:51 pm

Years ago there was some issue with a website page. Buddy called me to tell me about it, but I wasn’t home. He left a message on my answer machine. (He joined me in a tune we recorded in the early 80’s called “Dirty Ernie Rag”. As I had been called that since the 70’s.) The message started with Buddy saying, “Dirty Ernie, Dirty Bud” and he went on with the message. I left that message on the machine and lightning hit one night and fried the machine. I really wish I would’ve found a way to record it off. I didn’t know he was called Dirty Bud with Ray Price. (I still wonder why the name came about.) Johnny Bush called him it one night, too. So he remembered it…

”Dirty Ernie Rag!”
Myself, Buddy, Sid Hudson on guitar, Henry Styzlecki on bass, Ansley Fleetwood on piano and I never remember who the drummer was. I think I was flustered sitting about four feet from “Buddy Emmons!” We got the basic feel for the song and hit record. It went GREAT! We were both hitting cool licks. Until we came to how to get out. It fell apart. We worked out an ending. Take two is what you hear. I couldn’t find my tail with both hands and a posse. Buddy and Sid got it… Of course they recorded over take one…

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 7 Mar 2022 5:19 am

Ernie Renn wrote:Years ago there was some issue with a website page. Buddy called me to tell me about it, but I wasn’t home. He left a message on my answer machine. (He joined me in a tune we recorded in the early 80’s called “Dirty Ernie Rag”. As I had been called that since the 70’s.) The message started with Buddy saying, “Dirty Ernie, Dirty Bud” and he went on with the message. I left that message on the machine and lightning hit one night and fried the machine. I really wish I would’ve found a way to record it off. I didn’t know he was called Dirty Bud with Ray Price. (I still wonder why the name came about.) Johnny Bush called him it one night, too. So he remembered it…

”Dirty Ernie Rag!”
Myself, Buddy, Sid Hudson on guitar, Henry Styzlecki on bass, Ansley Fleetwood on piano and I never remember who the drummer was. I think I was flustered sitting about four feet from “Buddy Emmons!” We got the basic feel for the song and hit record. It went GREAT! We were both hitting cool licks. Until we came to how to get out. It fell apart. We worked out an ending. Take two is what you hear. I couldn’t find my tail with both hands and a posse. Buddy and Sid got it… Of course they recorded over take one…

Ernie,Little Red Hayes was on the band when I worked for George Jones...he was also on the Ray Price band for a while when Buddy Emmons was there...he told me they were on the bus and going to CA or somewhere a long way away and hadn't seen a bed or a hotel room for a while, and Buddy hadn't shaved for several days...Red said Buddy got up one morning and looked in the mirror on the bus and said"DIRTY Bud..."don't know if that was the origin of that or not...hope you are well, my friend!

SH

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 7 Mar 2022 1:17 pm

That certainly could’ve been where it came from…

I met Red Hayes when he was with Faron Young and saw him again later with Mel Tillis. Great player!

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 7 Mar 2022 1:31 pm

Mr. Renn, sir, do you happen to remember where you cut this? I know, a long time ago! Also - Is that you on the Steve Hall cut? Thanks much, Bob

No big deal if you don't recall and sorry for prying!

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 8 Mar 2022 7:16 am

Robert;

I don’t remember exactly when, (guessing 81-82) but I’m relatively sure we recorded it at the Soundshop Studio in Nashville.

Side A
Ansley Fleetwood - piano (session leader)
Buddy Emmons - steel
Sid Hudson - guitar
Henry Stryzlecki - bass
Billy Reynolds - drums

Side B added me on steel. Buddy played the harmony to my lead line. My tune was originally written for a Seagrams 7 Battle of the Bands in 1981 and was called Seagrams 7ths. (Because the lead like led to the flat 7 notes). We didn’t win, but decided to record the main Minnesota tune to sell at shows and it was my turn to be on the record, as another band member had the tune in the Seagrams produced recording. So, the boss, Steve Hall, said we should call it Dirty Ernie Rag. I was hesitant, but went along with it.

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 8 Mar 2022 8:30 am

Ernie, Thanks very much, Here is the edited entry for this session date. Moreover, thanks for all you do to maintain Buddy Emmons's legacy.

http://www.buddyemmons.com/