The Steel Guitar Forum

Jim, if I told you that I played a particular gig, would you be waiting for 'third party confirmation' before accepting my word? I can't think of anything more insulting. At the very least, it is extremely unbecoming behavior.

Actually Buddy moved back to Tenn. in 1974, so it would fit.
(I could be wrong, but I'm sure it was '74)

... and thankyou Jim Cohen, we get your point mate, but perhaps we could save Buddy's feelings for Buddy.

Jim ,
Is it possible Bob might have forgotten? After all, he forgot to stop playing at the end of the intro! Wink

It sounds to me as though it's the steel player who missed the stop. And his body language seems to confirm that.

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Kind of pathetic?

uh... okay, how much more of this righteous crap do we need before this topic gets closed.

About the "indignation" (I, by the way, am not indignant, just bemused):

Jim S., Here's something I think you might not be seeing: You back up Bob's accuracy of recollection by saying he's "not a dolt"--what can that seem to imply about Buddy, a well-respected member here, whose recollection you maintain is inaccurate?

Nobody needs to be a dolt here. We're talking about something that happened 33 years ago! Psychologists, and lawyers, know that memory is highly unreliable--everybody's.

But, a couple of things.

Which is somebody more likely to remember: Whether they were at an event, especially something unusual like playing at a prison, or who else was there?

And we're not just talking about memory here. You're suggesting someone is looking at a picture and saying "Yup, that's me" (with a shirt ID to boot) and he's wrong???

Brint - I was just comparing the recollections, and one seems quite a bit more detailed than the other, plus Buddy's is still confusing due to 1) his California reference, and 2) the apparent (not absolute - nothing is "absolute") fact that Linda could not take the whole band-at-the-time to the gig.

Which is somebody more likely to remember: Whether they were at an event, especially something unusual like playing at a prison, or who else was there?

In an unusual circumstance like that, both. At least in my opinion - I know that of innumerable guitar or bass gigs I've played over the years, I'm not likely to remember some bar gig...but I can clearly remember exactly who played (and what instruments they played) at an American Motors Executives meeting, because it was an unusual gig. I'm darned sure I can't remember a single shirt I wore to a gig - probably ever. And if I saw something for 1 or 2 seconds or blur, it'd be hard to recognize anyway.

I am NOT calling Buddy a liar, and that's a rather strong and unfounded insult. I'm not calling anyone anything - I AM comparing information, and that's all. Buddy may be the guy, but his word isn't any better than Bob's, and his recollection isn't as thorough at this point. It's just as possible Buddy is thinking of a different gig - we don't know.

I have no problem at all if Buddy posts a whole story proving it was him - as I said, I'm not making any argument one way or the other; I'm letting Bob use me as a conduit to explain what he says is a misconception here, on the Clarence White Forum, and possibly others.

You guys need to get off the "Jim's calling Buddy a liar", Jim's creating a ruckus" or whatever else you're trying to pull off.

And Mr. Cohen, as far as unbecoming behavior, look at your second post (your first being an irrelevant reference to Geico...), which offered nothing but a command. I do not recall you being promoted to moderator. If you'd like to make an on-topic post folks would probably welcome it - but don't attack me and expect me to take it.

Give it a rest guys. AGAIN - I'm passing on Bob's information, and commenting on the "evidence" supplied - regardless of "big names". And to repeat again - I don't care who is right. But based on what's been presented so far, Buddy's claim is a bit unclear IMO. If the California-vs-Tennessee thing was explained, who of Linda's band actually went to the gig (and was Buddy in the band at THAT time?) and who was locally-hired ironed out, or anything relating to the other players to clear things up it'd be more certain (to me) Buddy was there.

But as I said, again and again, I'm passing along Bob's info - not mine...and Bob says it was Weldon, not Buddy, even after watching the thing repeatedly.

So if all that means *I'm* calling Buddy a liar...well, I can't even complete that, because I'm not. Anyone who reads it that way is just blinded by stardom, methinks...

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That shirt might be more memorable than others!
It's not that blurry in the closeup.

I don't claim to know, or even have a strong opinion, who the guy in the video is. I tried to emphasize in my last post that everybody's memory is fallible. Somebody's wrong--could be Buddy, could be Bob. They're both human. I know in my own life I've been thoroughly certain I was right about my recollection of something and adamantly argued that it was so, only to eventually be faced with irrefutable evidence that I was wrong.

The factors I've mentioned still make it seem more likely to me that it's Bob who's mistaken. In a situation where he was a continuing member of a band in which other personnel changed, it sounds like fairly often, misremembering who was on a particular gig still seems more likely than for someone to think he played a prison gig when he didn't.

But, hey, since I'm not an advocate for anybody, I'll throw in another piece of potential "evidence". Here's a picture of Weldon from Scotty's "Anthology of Pedal Steel Guitar", p.59 (no date is given; the book was published in 1980) that comes as close as any of him I've seen to looking like the guy in the video:

I finally got the clip to play.Here's the deal no way Weldon Myrick could fit into that shirt,There's also no way my fat butt could fit into that shirt then or now.At the beginning of the clip you can see Mr.Emmon's mustache,and the solo it is pure Buddy Emmons,and those are not a chubby guys hands...I know chubby hands when I see them and Buddy Emmon's aint FAT!

And, hopefully, my last contribution, as I really should be practicing instead:

From "The Guitar Player Book", a compilation of articles from issues of Guitar Player magazine, published in 1979: In a four-page article from the May 1976 issue "by Buddy Emmons as told to Tom Bradshaw", Buddy gives a lot of autobiographical information. After describing mostly in general terms his session work in L.A., while working playing bass with Roger Miller four months out of the year, he says:

"Six years later, still with Roger, I decided to stop playing bass and play steel full-time. We sold our house in Downey, California, and moved back to Nashville. That was 1974, and I am now doing studio work and some 'casuals'. What do you know, off the road after twenty years."

That info seems to make it even stranger, since Buddy mentioned playing with Linda when he lived in California...as I said before, that's an odd reference to prove you played a gig in Tennessee.

Stu - dump the photo above into photoshop, and crop everything but the hands - they don't look the slightest bit chubby.

To me it's all still a mystery.

Jim,they look more chubby than the video...that's some funny stuff!

Oh my I hope that I didn't offend Weldon,he is one of my idols...I didn't mean Sausage type fingers,I meant a little bit bigger than the guy in the video...My Bad!

If this gig was at a prison, maybe there is a visitors list for that day that should settle who was there?
JE:-)>

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Brothers and Sisters, please chill. This is becoming the funniest post I've EVER read on the SGF. We should all just sit back and rejoice at this rare, fantastic footage of Buddy Emmons with Linda Ronstadt at a critical turning point in both of their musical careers. In three years, Buddy would record the '77 Live album in St. Louis AND Linda, showing us all here why she's one of the best singers on the planet, would be the top-selling female in '77.

I'll tell you one thing, the great Ed Black would flip out seeing this footage of the Big E, and Ed PLAYED on the "Don't Cry Now" version of this song. RIP Eddie.

p.s. to Buddy...great shirt! Are you using Allen-Bradley pots in your '74 volume pedal?

Jim, check out Weldon's right hand ring finger which isn't tucked under which is the way he always plays. The person (Buddy Emmons) on the video has his tucked under. That's Buddy's right hand in the video and not Weldon's. You'll find that steel players much more than other instrumentalists pay more attention to details such as that......JH in Va.

And this is where we are..........

It's the wristwatch that gives it away!

FWIW I have emailed Bob with the information posted (not the insults nor attacks...I see no need to pass that stuff on, just as I didn't see any need for it at all) and am waiting for his reply. I'll post whatever he says.

The person (Buddy Emmons) on the video has his tucked under.

Again, I have no real opinion on this whole thing, but I just looked at the video again and the right-hand fingers aren't tucked under...at least compared to what I've seen described as "tucked under" in the past. They seem to have a natural curl but aren't folded under the palm, and match the previous photos of Myrick's hand from what I can see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX52I8CPZU4

Go to this site and check out the Emmons "little finger curl" and compare it to the original 'silver threads and golden needles' site minutes 1:16 thru about 1:30. I would certainly believe Buddy E when he said it was he and i didn't need the websites to come to that conclusion.

Phred

I saw Buddy play live many, many times in the 1970's and 80's, and I took a two-day seminar with Buddy in 1983. I don't need to see any Other clips, any other pictures, or anyone else's hands to compare. The player on that video IS the Big E. The hands and the body language say it all. The 'across the stage' shots confirm it too. The playing is Emmons' signature sound. Buddy himself TOLD US it is him on the clip.

This post is an embarrassment. Some members are making fools of themselves, and I am sad to see it.

Yeah, this isn't the first time I posted a simple question that turned out like this.

This is like "The Caine Mutiny". The Captain goes on with his investigation, but its obvious the Big E ate the strawberries.