The Steel Guitar Forum

Happy 4th of July!

An eagle-eyed Forumite pointed out this morning the E-Book version of BUDDY EMMONS: STEEL GUITAR ICON is available for download now at the University of Illinois Press:

https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p086786
Use the Promo Code for a 30% discount: F22UIP

Be sure to download a free reader offered at the publisher's site so you can open the book. I downloaded Thorium and it's working great.

I'm seeing this version now for the first time. Although for me nothing beats having a physical copy on the shelves, I must admit the photos look absolutely stellar in the E-Book version.

I'm happy everyone on the Forum can finally access Buddy's life story.

(PS: My mistake! I meant to post this in "New Product Announcements. Feel free to move, Bob. Thanks!)

PS: Unfortunately, I don't know when the physical copies will be shipped, although the publisher's website says July 15th.

Steve

Hey Steve, congrats once again!

I had no idea physical copies might be available before the official September publication date, and as early as this month. Order placed today, thanks for the discount code!

Can't wait to read it!

Hey Pete,

Thanks a million!
Please don't hold me to that shipping date on UIP's website, but it sure would be great. They certainly surprised me with the release of the E-Book today, so who knows?

Buddy made his debut on the world stage at the Grand Ole Opry with Little Jimmy Dickens on 4th of July weekend 1955 when he was 18. I'm certain he would be happy the E-Book version is out today.

I think I ordered it already. Is there some way to check ?

Hi Bob,
I received a confirmation email when I purchased a copy of the E-Book version this morning. I would think UIP would email a receipt with every purchase. Double-check your spam folder and let me know if you didn't receive anything.

i ordered a copy. i can't wait.

Ordered my copy. Congrats Fish!!!

Just finished reading my hard copy. In my humble opinion Steve did an amazing job on this. Of course the story is one we'd all want to read no matter what, but he's really outdone himself in organizing the first-hand autobiographical material Buddy left him, much of it very funny of course but some surprisingly dark, into an outstanding book. Steve's writing is excellent and along the way gets necessary background info about steel guitar out there in a crystal-clear yet non-technical way.

This is the book Buddy deserves and I can't think of anyone who could have done a better job.

I got my copy on Thursday and just finished today. Steve you really knocked it out of the park.

It's a thoroughly enjoyable read! I am not finished with the book, but read some everyday.

A nice read for the steel guitar geek such as myself. I found no surprises, just interesting facts about Buddy's life, his struggles and his obsession with excellence, which gave us such memorable music and inspiration. I guess if there was a surprise it's that his career began so young and with accolades and admiration from his peers almost from the beginning. I guess he never did suck! Buddy was always great! Kudos to Steve for the descriptions of iconic songs: "Someday Soon" was well described--weren't we all amazed and inspired by that dazzling performance??!! I was a little disappointed that there was very little mention of Lloyd Green. To me, Lloyd has been an inspiration of similar caliber. This story and this amazing talent will live on in years ahead. Thank you Steve Fishell and thank you Buddy!

I just now ordered on Amazon and it said shipping date Sept 6????

Hi Sonny,

Try this: cancel your order and ask for a refund.

Then go to the top of this thread for instructions on how to order directly from the publisher which is the University of Illinois press. There is a discount code for 30% off. They will ship the paperback edition much faster. I’m not so sure about hardcover copies. They are printed on demand and may take longer.

Good luck!

Il'm just about through with my first reading of this terrific book, learned so much I didn't know, especially insights into Buddy's practice methods.

There's one special detail I'd like to compliment Steve on: the list of key songs at the end of each chapter. Super handy to flip back there for easier location of the songs in my own music library, or on YouTube.

Steve, I also think you did a masterful job of organizing what must have been 10 gazillion post-it notes of information tidbits into a cohesive narrative. Well done! Bet that was most of the challenge for you.

Hi John,
Thank you very much for your kind words. They mean a lot coming from you.

I'm glad you like the song list at the end of each chapter. Those could have been any number of other choices. I wrote the book with a universal perspective so non-players might better appreciate Buddy's phenomenal genius. These seem like essential songs from Buddy's repertoire, but clearly there are hundreds more.

Regarding "post-it" notes, I luckily discovered software called "Scrivener" that helped organize my hundreds of Word docs into an easily searchable, editable manuscript. Scrivener also helps with the "Notes," which are otherwise difficult to keep track of. I hope readers take time to look through the "Notes" section. There's a lot of "bonus" info back in that section.

Here's a peek at what my Scrivener desktop looks like. It's invaluable for authors organizing a ton of stuff:

Great tip on Scrivener, Fish, I've heard of it, but never understood its benefits and usage until now. Thanks!

You're far left column mirrors my scads of notes to myself, and notes on what to include in the final version of an instructional E9 book I'm toiling to finish. These are scattered in MS Word, Apple Notes, QuarkXPress and, yes, post-it notes and other scribbles. --- Professor Twang

One final compliment: the way you put Buddy's own words in italics really made reading the text flow smoothly, dispensing with what would have been hundreds of prefaces like "Buddy said..." Really great technique and reader-friendly!

Thanks John.
It was my son Sam’s idea to use italics. He’s a professional writer in the comedy world. He suggested that Buddy’s memoirs would stand apart from his interview quotes much more clearly this way. Thank you Sam!

Fish, I'd like to thank you for a job well done with this book. There were many insights in here that for me made Buddy a much more "Real" person.

I think we often see Buddy in "godlike" fashion for his groundbreaking accomplishment from tunings to instrument design and his musical virtuosity. YET, he was very human and struggled with many of the things we all do, with challenges he had difficulty conquering. A man with flaws AND brilliance that till now I wasn't all that aware of. To me, those things make him even more endearing than he already was.

This was more a Scrapbook of Buddy than a Snapshot, and I thank you for all the ground covered in this great book. I think the importance of this book will only increase the further down the road we get from it. Thank you!!!

Dale, if there were a like button, or Hell Yeah! button, I'd hit it for you!

John McClung wrote:Dale, if there were a like button, or Hell Yeah! button, I'd hit it for you!

I loved the book and all of the referenced songs!

Steve (or anyone else familiar with Thorium) - I've posted in the computer section - I am wondering if it's possible to move my digital copy of the book between my laptop and my tablet. Thread is here:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... 52#3115652

A great read so far - I just don't read at my laptop much, so am not getting through it very quickly!

Hey Fish! I heard your appearance on The Buddy and Jim show on Outlaw Country. I've been an avid listener to the country stations on Sirius Radio for years and have longed for one of the DJ's to feature a show about pedal steel and the players. You did a such a great job talking about the book and relaying some of the stories with those guys. I also loved how you explained the instrument, how it works, and it's history. Very smart and well spoken and it was music to my ears. I can't wait to read the book!

Are there a lot of photos in this book? I ask because, if there are, I'll probably order a physical copy of the book. If not, I'll probably order the e-book instead.
Thanks,
John Ely
Minneapolis MN