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 76-100 of 125 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca NA 11064 3/29/1960 Do it now The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11065 3/29/1960 He'll have to go The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11066 3/29/1960 Mister Blues The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11067 3/29/1960 The kind of love she gave to me The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11072 3/30/1960 Pick me up on your way down The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11073 3/30/1960 This ain't the blues (Instrumental) The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11078 4/6/1960 You win again The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11079 4/6/1960 I believe I'm entitled to you The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11080 4/6/1960 A guy named Joe The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11081 4/6/1960 Who will buy the wine The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11082 4/7/1960 Why I'm walkin' The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11083 4/7/1960 White silver sands The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11084 4/7/1960 Am I that easy to forget The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11164 6/6/1960 Ev'rybody's somebody's fool The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11165 6/6/1960 Let the little girl dance The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, electric guitar  
Decca NA 11267 9/21/1960 Candy kisses The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 11268 9/21/1960 It happened when I really needed you The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 11269 9/21/1960 Wondering The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 11270 9/21/1960 Cold, cold heart The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 11274 9/29/1960 I love you so much it hurts The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 11275 9/29/1960 I walk the line The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 11276 9/29/1960 Little ole band of gold The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 11281 10/25/1960 Wabash cannon ball The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 11282 10/25/1960 I'm moving on The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
Decca NA 11352 12/4/1960 Thoughts of a fool The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, steel guitar  
(Results 76-100 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

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