Steel Players on Ray Prices' "Night Life" Album

Al Gershen · Post by **Al Gershen** » 2 Aug 2001 7:56 pm

Hi SGF:

In 1963 when I was in college in Los Angeles, I heard on the radio the "Night Life" song recorded by Ray Price and featuring Buddy Gene Emmons on the pedal steel guitar.

I bought that album and its liner notes did not identify the musicians who performed on the album. As time went on, I assumed that Emmons recorded all the songs on the album but now, I find that this is not correct.

I recently purchased a 1996 reissue of the Night Life album by Koch International L.P., thru Sony Music Special Products (KIC-CD-7928/Sony # A-28106) and its liner notes include detailed information about the musicians on each of the 12 songs in the album.

Here, to my surprise, is what I found:

1. The songs, "The Twenty-Fourth Hour" was recorded in January 1961 and "Pride" was recorded in January 1962; and they featured James Clayton "Jimmy Day" on the pedal steel guitar.

2. The remaining songs on the album were recorded on three days during February 1963 and they featured Buddy Gene Emmons on the pedal steel guitar.

3. One song included in number 2 above is, "Are You Sure" and was written by Buddy Gene Emmons and Willie Nelson.

I guess this gives me a new appreciation for Jimmy Day and his steel playing. I have most of Price's albums recorded before the Night Life album and they probably featured Day on pedal steel guitar.

I never realized that he was on two of the songs in this album and as I listen to them again, I can't distinguish his style here compared to his work on the earlier Price recordings.

To me, the playing style and tone of Day's and Emmons' on this album seem to blend into one. Yet they were recorded between one and two years apart.

I find this extremely interesting. It seems to me that the new pedal sound that Emmons brought into this album was precursored by the work that Day did on the earlier songs.

Am I making too much out of this?

Be that as it may, I still love to listen to this album and I probably have three or four copies of the LP. (My first one was mono and later ones were in stereo.)

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Regards,
Al Gershen
Grants Pass, Oregon. USA
Fender 1000 (1957),
Fender PS 210 (1972) &
Gibson Electraharp EH-820
(1962)
Photos at http://www.rvi.net/~aldg and http://communities.msn.com/AldgsPhotos/_whatsnew.msnw

[This message was edited by Al Gershen on 02 August 2001 at 08:59 PM.]

mtulbert · Post by **mtulbert** » 2 Aug 2001 8:10 pm

Hi Al,

I think that Ray Price had a unique style and the players tried to blend in with him and complement him. I have a great example for you.

We recorded the same song by two different artists in about a year spread of time. On one session the steel player was Hal Rugg. The other session was Weldon Myrick. When I played the two cuts years later one right after the other was I was amazed at how close the the choice of licks, attack etc. were between these two great Steel Artists. The song by the way had the same arrangement musically.

All this rambling says that sometimes the song will perhaps dictate the style of steel played as well as the artist.

Regards,

Mark T.

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 2 Aug 2001 8:16 pm

Jimmy Day also played on Walker's, "Pick me up on your way down, which sounds like something Emmons could have did also.
I think there was a short time when Day might have been the better player. That Is pure speculation. But Buddy must have had that desire to learn more and practice more and It's quite obvious who won.

Bob Carlson

Tele · Post by **Tele** » 2 Aug 2001 11:48 pm

Good point, Daymon...I think Buddy was also heading towards a new direction musically. I remember an answer that he posted last year.
Something like that even he can't tell whether Jimmy or he did the steel on certain recordings back then.

I wouldn't rate one above the other, they have totally different styles of playing.

Andy

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1961 Sho~Bud D-9:1962 Sho~Bud D-10 : 1968 Sho~Bud D-10 : 1969 Emmons D-10 : Bigsby T-8
My steels
ShoBud Gallery

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 3 Aug 2001 1:20 am

There's a story behind "Are You Sure". Willie and Buddy (who at the time were both Cherokee Cowboys,) were in a bar one night setting in a booth. A drunken guy stumbles over to the booth and sets down beside Buddy. He slowly slides closer and closer to Buddy. Willie thinks he's Buddy's friend, Buddy thinks he's Willie's friend. The guy ends up almost on top of Buddy. Buddy says, "Are you sure you're where you want to be?" After the guy either left or was escorted out, (I don't remember which,) Willie says to Buddy, "That sounds like a great song title. I'll write it and give you half".
Buddy if you're reading this and you'd like to elaborate, please do!

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My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 3 Aug 2001 4:43 am

That sounds like I read it Ernie. I once seen Jimmy Day at the ISGC ready to play but waiting on some technical problem with the rest of the band. He simply started off by himself on something I'd never heard of and did an amazing job. I don't think Jimmy was the technical player Buddy is or was then but he certainly made up for it in other ways. He could make his guitar sound like other horn instruments with no effects but his hands and reverb. Just try to play his version of B. Bowman Hop and nail that ending and you've done something.

Steve England · Post by **Steve England** » 3 Aug 2001 7:03 am

What's with the "Obvious who won". These are two guys who virtually wrote the book on everything we try to do. To try to start some childish Jimmy's better than Buddy controversy is just ridiculous IMHO.

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 3 Aug 2001 6:16 pm

My feeling is the singer dictates the bands styles etc. I'm guessing Emmons eased in on the style of Day.

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 3 Aug 2001 10:13 pm

Janice....I said I felt there was a short time when Jimmy was better than Emmons. But I don't think Jimmy took It as serious as Buddy. And I sure didn't mean to imply that Jimmy was not a great player. As someone stated, they set the standard for country steel.
I read In an interview where neither one could remember which one first added the knee lever to lower the E strings. Or was It raise the E strings. So that statement In inself says they were both picken cotton In the same field.
But I'll stand by my statement that Emmons became the more refined player.

Bob Carlson

Mike Cass · Post by **Mike Cass** » 3 Aug 2001 10:49 pm

its true that E cant tell whos who one some of those Price tunes....but if you want to know how Buddy feels about Jimmys playing, read the liner notes on the back of the Jimmy Day album: "All Those Years".....to me, that says it all.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 3 Aug 2001 10:55 pm

Since Jimmy's gone, I don't think I'm revealing any deep secrets, so I recall when Jimmy showed me a christmas or birthday card (I can't remember which) from Buddy that he got about 20 years ago that he was really, really proud of. It said "Happy Birthday to my teacher."

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 4 Aug 2001 4:46 am

I don't believe they have EVER sounded alike.

Crazy Arms was the "Alpha" and Night life was the "Omega" for me. All in between is why many of us play pedal steel today.

It will never ever happen again. It was an era in the evolution of music that will forever be unique. Many things will happen in the future. But nothing will ever equal that unprecedent time in the development of our beloved instrument.

God rest Jimmy's soul. And richly bless Buddy Emmons. The greatest that has ever been. Or...............................

carl

Roger Edgington · Post by **Roger Edgington** » 5 Aug 2001 5:55 pm

The "Night Life" album is still one of my favorite albums of all time. I find the style and tone,technique and all extremely close between Emmons and Day although very different from each other behind other singers. I was lucky wnough to see Ray in the 60s with Emmons or Day and Darrell McCall on bass and Johnny Bush on drums. It just doesn't get much better IMHO. The Cherokee Cowboy album is right there also.

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 6 Aug 2001 8:26 am

Carl....I think you've splained It the best. Maybe not zakly right, but about as close as It could be put In words.

Bob Carlson[This message was edited by Bob Carlson on 06 August 2001 at 09:28 AM.]