The Steel Guitar Forum

Drivin' Nails in My Coffin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdjVXsS7ams


Tone's a little funky, but the playing sure sounds like Buddy, especially quoting SS Cool in the solo.

The sound is not funky.

Buddy was using an "Orange Squeezer" compressor.

It is pure Buddy with "The Blade"

Bill,
Certainly wasn't trying to disparage Buddy's tone, but it's not a typical sound for him.
That Johnny Bush album came out in 2001, long after Buddy's "Orange Squeeze" phase. I suspect the engineer had a lot to do with the sound.
Of course, if you have it from the horse's mouth, then I stand corrected.

I knew what you meant. There is not a steel player in the world that could ever question how the Big E sounded.

I have will to check back, but I believe the song was recorded before 2001, but then used on that Cd.

I will check with Johnny B and post a reply when I get it.

Straight from Justin Griffith, Johnny Bushes road manager and personal assistant:


"8:23pm
Justin Griffith
Yes it was the Big E. It was overdubbed too.
The only person I've seen pull it off live is Rick Price and Jim Loessberg.
Rick plays it on Bush's "live at Dancetown" album. It's a pretty mighty solo!"

So there ya go.

Hi Jack,
I have an old 45 of this from the 80s but still don't know when it was originally recorded.

Ron Hogan

FWIW, my buddies and I were listening to that cut back in the late 70's/early 80's on 8-track. The 8-track also had Rainbow Colored Words, Whiskey River and some other classic JB tunes. Don't know if that helps with what equipment Buddy may have been using but I remember it thoroughly.

Ron Hogan! How the hell are you!
I think I owe you $40.00

Hello everybody,

There is an interesting piece of information about that cut. When I was about 17 they had just recorded that tune and John had an unmixed version on a reel-to-reel tape. Being very low tech in those days, I held a cheap cassette recorder to the speaker and recorded it. Sometime after that the tune was released on 45 and I had no reason to listen to the tape. I learned the solo from the record.

At some later point I was looking for something else on that cassette and discovered that the second half of the solo is different from the record (the one posted here). Buddy Emmons obviously went back and overdubbed the second half.

If I am ever able to locate that tape -- and repair it (it broke loose from the spindle) -- I will post the solo here.

As with everything Buddy Emmons ever played it was great and I wondered why he thought he needed to redo the second half. I'm sure he found some minor flaw with it but I'll never know what it was!

Best wishes,

Jim

Hi Marty,

I forgot to weigh in on your post. A lot of the things they were releasing in those days were amalgamations from many sessions. If I remember correctly, "Rainbow Colored Words" and "Whiskey River" were both done by Rick Price. Coincidentally, he was playing the wrap-around I now play.

I hope all is well!

Best,

Jim

Jim, thanks for the info. Someone once told me they thought it was Dickey (and the wagon guitar) on Rainbow Colored Words. All I knew then and now is that that guitar sparkled like crazy on that cut and the playing was awesomely tasteful. We wore that whole 8-track out.

I have Johnny Bush`s CD GREEN SNAKES which was put together in 2001. It has DRIVING NAILS IN MY COFFIN on it and Johnny wrote on the cover who played on it. Buddy Emmons on steel, Pet Wade, electric guitar, Tommy Jackson, fiddle, Buddy Spicher, fiddle, Tommy Williams, fiddle, Larre Londin, drums, Henry Strzecki, bass, Hargus "Pig" Robbins, piano, Tommy Allsup, guitar. It has a great sound. Maybe it was overdubbed. The original had to be done in the 1970`s, because Tommy Jackson died in Dec. 1979. Johnny has always been good about giving credit to his album players.

Don Euton

Hi Don,

The point I meant to make is that Buddy Emmons overdubbed the second half of the solo sometime between when the reel-to-reel rough mix was rendered and the keeper track, which made it to record. It was certainly done during the same session. I was 17 or 18 when I heard it so that puts it at 1975 or 1976. I'm sure I didn't explain it well but the point was merely that there exist two versions of the second half of the solo and if I am ever able to locate the first version I will post it for you all to hear.

Cheers,

Jim