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Topic: Rare Buddy Emmons interview, 1972 |
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 9 Aug 2019 7:40 pm |
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It was Bob Powell who 'surprised me' by bringing the Big 'E' to the very first gig on which I'd taken the plunge and played my newly acquired first steel in public.
I bet I showed him a thing or two!
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 9 Aug 2019 7:42 pm
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If I recall correctly, Buddy didn't pull any punches in that interview with Bob. He was less than complimentary when asked about certain players.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Frank Freniere
From:
The First Coast
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 10 Aug 2019 12:44 pm
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The late Bob Powell produced 2 issues of Country Music People in the early 1970's that exclusively featured steel guitar players. I still have both magazines plus Bob's autobiography. Many country music fans in the UK hated those issues, but Bob felt that the steel guitar was an integral part of country music in the 50's, 60's and 70's.
Roger is correct. Bob (somewhat mischievously I felt) asked Buddy what he thought of certain steel players from the USA, and threw some names at him. He must have been having a bad day, as he made stinging comments about Pete Drake, Jeff Newman, Red Rhodes, and one or two others. He was particularly vociferous about Pete Drake's lack of ability as a steel player. I like to think that Buddy would have regretted his comments in hindsight, but hey ho - he probably didn't.
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 10 Aug 2019 4:22 pm
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Thanks, Ken - that was pretty clear in my recollection. I'd like to think that Buddy would have been a little more circumspect in his later years.
Doug: No, I didn't know he was there until the half-time interval. By then it was too late - I'd made every amateur blunder in the book. When we were introduced my first words were an abject apology! He just laughed and said 'You'll do just fine...'
Needless to say, though, when we went back to the stage I stayed on Telecaster.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 11 Aug 2019 1:30 am
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I will dig out those two magazines the next time I get up into my loft space Roger. I used to see Bob Powell at least twice a month at the Ponderosa in Hampshire, as I lived fairly close to it and played at least one Saturday and one Sunday a month there. Bob loved the venue and would come down almost every weekend at one time. I remember that Bill Anderson gave Bob a hard time after the first steel issue came out (1973 I think), as it featured every top Nashville steeler except Sonny Garrish. Bob tried to make amends in the second issue a couple of years later, but found that Sonny was a very private individual and was difficult to pin down for an interview.
Going back to Buddy's somewhat cruel comments about Pete Drake in that first issue, Pete was very hurt by them and made the point in his own interview with Powell that he was personally responsible for a lot of sales of Sho~Bud guitars when Buddy and Shot were heading the company. As great a player as Buddy was, and without doubt was the greatest ever, PD was considered by a number of producers to be far more of a commercial player of the two for recording sessions.
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 11 Aug 2019 7:37 am
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| As popular as Pete was/got, most steelersI I knew including myself, didn't care for his playing. How many more steel guitars and records were sold as a direct result of his accompaniment is a subjective judgement at best IMO |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 11 Aug 2019 7:44 am
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Barry, I think most of this was connectected to producer Bill Sherill. With his "elegant" producing I think he (Pete) fitted in best, he at least did nothing to take the attention away from ths singer.
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Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 11 Aug 2019 7:59 am
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Well, everyone to their own. Pete Drake certainly wasn't trying to impress other steel players during his sessions. He tried, and succeeded, to enhance the artist and the song. I saw an interview with Billy Sherrill on UK TV many years ago, and he was saying that he knew Pete Drake wasn't the most technically proficient player out there, but Pete would always take onboard Billy's suggestions of what and where to play. The Beatles and George Harrison used Pete on their albums when they wanted pedal steel. They could have had any player they wanted.
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 11 Aug 2019 8:20 am
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I agree, Ken. Pete was not a flashy player, but he was a great session player. He understood that his role was to back the singer. Dylan, Elvis, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and thousands of country artists. He was also a producer and a studio owner. And don't forget his innovations with the talk box and his million-selling record "Forever". I think a lot of steel guitarists were jealous of Pete's success.
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My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel
Last edited by Doug Beaumier on 11 Aug 2019 10:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 11 Aug 2019 8:46 am
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Well said Doug. I'm sure that Pete never lost a second of sleep knowing that there were many players out there who were more technically proficient. The reason why he was hurt by Buddy's comments was the uncalled-for ferocity that they were uttered with. Buddy must have been aware that his comments would get back to Pete, Red and Jeff.
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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scott murray
From:
Asheville, NC
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Posted 11 Aug 2019 10:49 am
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Buddy was also miffed at Pete over the talking steel guitar which Buddy claimed to have invented. he said Pete took the idea and ran with it, and never thanked him or gave him credit.
someone posted the interview in question a few months ago but I'm unable to locate it. would love to read it again.
Buddy on more than one occasion said how miserable he could be in his younger days. I think he softened quite a bit over the years and probably wished he hadn't said certain things that wound up in print.
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1965 Emmons S-10, 3x5 • Emmons LLIII D-10, 10x12 • JCH D-10, 10x12 • Beard MA-8 • Oahu Tonemaster |
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Gary Hoetker
From:
California, USA
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Posted 11 Aug 2019 10:53 am
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| I don't understand his slight of Pete Drake at all. Perhaps Pete wasn't as talented and knowledgeable as Buddy, but he was unique, very versatile and a great musician. Otherwise, I don't think he would have been in such high demand for recording sessions. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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scott murray
From:
Asheville, NC
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Posted 11 Aug 2019 11:17 am
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I saw something else recently, can't remember exactly who said it but it was claimed that Buddy and Jimmy Day were so in demand that they started getting selective and turning some sessions down, and that was how Pete really got his foot in the door and became the session king.
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1965 Emmons S-10, 3x5 • Emmons LLIII D-10, 10x12 • JCH D-10, 10x12 • Beard MA-8 • Oahu Tonemaster |
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Ron Hogan
From:
Nashville, TN, usa
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Posted 12 Aug 2019 5:21 am
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There is a an old story that floats around here in Nashville about Pete Drake. One of the prominent steel players was in the studio and Pete was there also. The steel player turned to Pete and played a challenging lick and said, "can you do this"? Pete came over and threw a big bunch of cash on top of the steel and said, "can you do this"? Enough said!
Ron |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Marco Schouten
From:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Posted 12 Aug 2019 9:29 am
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| scott murray wrote: |
| I saw something else recently, can't remember exactly who said it but it was claimed that Buddy and Jimmy Day were so in demand that they started getting selective and turning some sessions down, and that was how Pete really got his foot in the door and became the session king. |
Pete was friendly, polite and showed up on time, sober. And he knew what and where to fill on a song.
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JCH SD-10 with BL XR-16 pickup, Sho-Bud Volume Pedal, Evidence Audio Lyric HG cables, Quilter Steelaire combo |
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John Brabant
From:
Calais, VT, USA
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Posted 13 Aug 2019 6:14 am
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My memory having read an interview with Buddy many years ago was that Buddy had cobbled together a "talk box" and had Pete Drake over and showed him what he had come up with. Pete reportedly went home, wrote up a schematic design for the box and immediately filed for a patent, giving no credit to its creator. Buddy reportedly never forgave Pete Drake for this serious transgression. Pretty sleazy if true.
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John Brabant
1978 Emmons D-10 P-P |
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Barry Blackwood
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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