Gene "Buddy" Emmons

Buddy Gene Emmons (January 27, 1937 – July 21, 2015) was an American musician who is widely regarded as the world's foremost pedal steel guitarist of his day. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981. Affectionately known by the nickname "Big E", Emmons' primary genre was American country music, but he also performed jazz and Western swing. He recorded with Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons, The Everly Brothers, The Carpenters, Jackie DeShannon, Roger Miller, Ernest Tubb, John Hartford, Little Jimmy Dickens, Ray Price, Judy Collins, George Strait, John Sebastian, and Ray Charles and was a widely sought session musician in Nashville and Los Angeles.

Emmons made significant innovations to the steel guitar, adding two additional strings and an additional pedal, changes which have been adopted as standard in the modern-day instrument. His name is on a US patent for a mechanism to raise and lower the pitch of a string on a steel guitar and return to the original pitch without going out of tune. He won the Academy of Country Music's "Best Steel Guitarist" nine times, beginning in 1969.

In 2013, two years before his death, he was honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame in a tribute called "The Big E: Salute to Buddy Emmons" featuring testimonials and performances by eminent musicians and hall of fame members.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 27, 1937 (Mishawaka), Died July 21, 2015 (Nashville)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1957 - 1962

Roles Represented in DAHR: steel guitar, electric guitar

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 125 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca NA 10291 6/9/1958 I'm waiting for ships that never come in The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10292 6/11/1958 Half a mind The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10293 6/11/1958 Next time The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10294 6/11/1958 Goodbye sunshine, hello blues The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10383 9/24/1958 It's the age that makes the difference The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10384 9/24/1958 What am I living for The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10395 10/6/1958 The next voice you hear The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10396 10/6/1958 All those yesterdays The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10397 10/6/1958 Walking the floor over you The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10398 10/6/1958 When the world has turned you down The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10399 10/8/1958 I'll always be glad to take you back The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10400 10/8/1958 It's been so long darling The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10401 10/8/1958 Careless darlin' The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10402 10/8/1958 Through the days where only seven The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10405 10/9/1958 Last night I dreamed The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10406 10/9/1958 Slipping around The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10407 10/9/1958 I love you because The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10408 10/9/1958 There's nothing more to say The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10412 10/10/1958 There's a little bit of everything in Texas The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10413 10/10/1958 You nearly lose your mind The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10414 10/10/1958 Blue Christmas The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10415 10/10/1958 Don't rob another man's castle The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10434 10/28/1958 My French Canadian girl Montana Slim instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10435 10/28/1958 Sick, sober and sorry Montana Slim instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 10444 10/29/1958 Almost lonely Justin Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
(Results 26-50 of 125 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Emmons, Gene "Buddy"," accessed November 7, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/202947.

Emmons, Gene "Buddy". (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 7, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/202947.

"Emmons, Gene "Buddy"." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 7 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/202947

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.