Most embarassing moment?

Rick Garrett · From: Tyler, Texas

I havent had one yet because Im still way in the wood shed but with all the you guys on here that gig regularly there just has to be some great stories about this. Care to share your most embarassing moment on stage live? Thanks for the tips and the reading yall. This forum really helps newbies like me.

Rick

Andy Greatrix · From: Edmonton Alberta

I don't want to talk about it.
Ask John Lacey.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Late 70s -- maybe '79 -- I MAY have been playing 5 years
Steel show in Grand Rapids -- Buddy Emmons is the star -- one of the shows Scotty promoted back then. Local promoter asks me if I'd like to play the 'show'. Thinking I'd be one of many others, I said 'sure'.

I was told there was a competent backup band, so I asked if I could send them a tape of my set with some charts. They said, 'sure'. I DID.

I get there expecting to see several other players and to touch the hem of the Big E's derby, BUT I WAS THE ONLY OTHER PLAYER. It was kind of a quartet, ME MYSELF AND I, and BUDDY. I loaded in, met Buddy and Scotty and talked briefly with the band -- nothing specific.

The show starts -- Scotty introduces me -- I nod to the band and tell them we'll start with the first tune on the tape -- the one in C. The bandleader whispers in my ear, 'WHAT TAPE'. I had one other set of charts, but the tunes were tricky and they didn't seem too game to wing it (and neither did I).

Let me tell you, ad libbing is fine for a veteran, but I was petrified. I just backed the band on their own tunes as best I could and played something we all knew for a closer.

Buddy was not without his own woes that day, however. He played 'Gonna Build a Mtn', with the modulations between verses. They didn't know exactly when to modulate and forgot what key they were in. Buddy was laughing his a$$ off. I will never forget that day as long as I live. It could be subtitled 'A Comedy of Errors'.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Emmons D-10 9x9, 1971 Dobro

[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 05 March 2002 at 07:12 AM.]

Reggie Duncan · From: Mississippi

Recording session 20 years ago. I decided that I would just take the back legs off my guitar and lay it in the trunk to save a lot of work. When I got to the studio over an hour away I realized that I didn't have the back legs! I had left them leaning up against the house! We had to prop the back corners up with the backs of chairs. Wish I had a picture of that!

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Well, my most embarassing moment wasn't on stage, it was upstairs in the old Sho~Bud building. This was '66, I believe, and Lloyd Green and Curley Chalker had both just released new albums. I wanted a new bar, and Dave Jackson (Shots's son) told me he had some, but they needed polishing. We went upstairs and Curley happened to be there. Dave said to me..."Here's one of the most famous players in Nashville, Curley Chalker!" I said..."Gee Curley, it sure is a pleasure to meet you, I just got your new album, and that version of Touch My Heart that you did is really great!" At this point, Curley just looked down at his boots and said..."Sorry son, I don't mean to disappoint you, but that's Lloyd Green you're talkin' about."

Boy...did I feel stupid! Never forgave myself for that one.

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 05 March 2002 at 08:55 AM.]

Bob Tuttle · From: Republic, MO 65738

I was playing a sit-down job, 5 nights a week in a club back in the early '70s and left my steel set up all the time. I came in to work one night and found that someone had stolen my bar. Fortunately, there was another steel player in the audience who agreed to run home and get a bar for me to use. But, I had to play the entire first set with an empty Coors bottle. It was a little bit hard to see which fret I was on, but it didn't sound too bad.
Bob

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

I learned a long time ago how not to get embarassed - I think it had something to do with alcoholic beverages.But I do recall one time in Seoul,Korea at a DOD showcase in 1976.It was a sitdown audience of American GIs and ROK personel at a large formal theater.The band was a six piece country rock outfit with 2 chick singers who were sisters. The curtain opened,I kicked off the first song and broke my 4th string in the middle of the intro.I hacked my way thru the rest of the tune including a very half-assed solo.There was no way I wanted to try to play the whole show on 9 strings and I didn't play enough C6 to hack it on that neck so I begged the band to stall while I got it together.So while the half drunk girl singers tried to talk to the audience and tell jokes with no punch line etc,I scrambled to get an E string on there.Once it was secure,I grabbed my string crank and started winding like mad to get it up to pitch.Problem....I was so used to breaking and replacing the 3rd string,that I put the string winder on the 3rd string tuning peg,gave it about 3 cranks and THAT string also broke.Now I only had 8 strings on there and THEY were fairly well knocked out of tune.By now,the band leader was yelling across the stage at me: "C'mon! - C'mon! what are you doin!?" The audience was starting to murmur and squirm - people were coughing,starting to talk and getting up and milling around.Finally after the longest 5 minutes of my life,I got strung up - of course then I had to say: "Hey man gimme an E" I finally got tuned up and kicked off the next song but for the rest of the show,I was too embarassed to look up - and for good reason - I rightiously sucked out loud. -MJ-

Jeff Lampert · From: queens, new york city

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

I have no doubt my personal musical nadir; it occurred at the 'Nashville Rooms' in West Kensington....

It was the early 'seventies, and I'd JUST bought my first steel. My band, anxious for me to unleash this strange beast on an unsuspecting crowd in a West London pub, finally persuaded me to bring it on stage. I put down my Telecaster, and proceeded to 'comp' away timidly on my shiny new ZB 'Student' guitar using the handful of chords I'd gleaned from my two weeks of study to that point....

The interval came, and I rose from my chair to the words of encouragement from the other musicians. Just as I was thinking I hadn't done too badly, all things considered, my friend, Bob Powell, came from the audience, drew me aside and said, "There's someone I want you to meet...."

There, lounging against the bar was a certain American steel player who happened to be in England playing bass with Roger Miller. I guess it's arguable as to who would be the last person YOU'D want to be a witness your first stumblings on pedal steel, but Buddy Emmons was pretty near the top of MY list.......

To his great credit, Buddy didn't dwell on my 'performance', but muttered some encouraging words anyway; I dread to think what I must have sounded like!

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Roger Rettig
Emmons LGIII(S10/D10)& MCI D10

[This message was edited by Roger Rettig on 05 March 2002 at 11:31 AM.]

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

A band I was in used to wear tight black pants as part of our uniform. Well one night when we first started to play, the crotch literally exploded out of my pants. There I was, legs spread wide open all night with (of course) white briefs showing from under my guitar. My wife at the time was the singer, so I had no one to call to bring me another pair of pants. To make matters worse, the stage was at a height that put my crotch at eye level of the people on the dance floor.

Embarrassing??? You betcha.

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Carter D10 9p/10k
Richard Sinkler

Gary Harris · From: Hendersonville, TN, USA

While in Germany our little band would travel From Wiesbaden to Frankfurt on Saturdays to be part of USURA's Grand Ole Opry. One afternoon we arrived at the train station just in time to see our train slowly pulling out. We all ran to catch the moving train. It was picking up speed with every passing second. I was trying to run with my guitar in one hand and my amp in the other. There was no way that I was going to try to hop on without at least one hand free. I was left on the platform.

Ernie Renn · From: Brainerd, Minnesota USA

Back in the 70's I was playing guitar on a job at a little bar here in MN. I was setting on a bar stool playing a solo when I happened to glance down and the crotch seam of the polyester pants looked like it was a bright line. There was a black light over the stage, (for some strange reason, it didn't add any light,) and not much other lighting. The line was my underware showing thru the seam... I still cringe when I think about it.

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My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com

Dave Van Allen · From: Souderton, PA , US , Earth

funny,but my most embarrassing moment also played out in the presence of Maestro Emmons. Had to do with my "lemonade" loosened tongue and an ill informed critique of vocal stylings.

I can say no more, it hurts too much to think about.

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