Buddy Emmons

by Sandra Brennan Buddy Emmons earned a place among Nashvilles elite as one of the finest steel guitar players in the business. Born in Mishawaka, IN, he first fell in love with the instrument at age 11 when he received a 6-string lap steel guitar as a gift. As a teen, he enrolled at the Hawaiian Conservatory of Music in South Bend, IN, and began playing professionally in Calumet City and Chicago at age 16. In 1956, Emmons went to Detroit to fill in for Walter Haynes during a performance with Little Jimmy Dickens; soon afterward he was invited to join Dickens Country Boys. He appeared with them a few times on the Grand Ole Opry and recorded with them on a few singles, including Buddys Boogie (1957). He also recorded a pair of solo singles for Columbia, Cold Rolled Steel (1956) and Silver Bells (1957). In the late 50s, Emmons began playing occasionally with Ernest Tubbs band on Midnight Jamboree. In 1963, he began a five year stint with Ray Price and his Cherokee Cowboys, and in 1965 teamed up with fellow steel player Shot Jackson to record the LP Steel Guitar & Dobro Sound. This led the two to create the Sho-Bud Company, which sold an innovative steel guitar that used push-rod pedals. In 1969, Emmons joined Roger Millers Los Angeles-based band as a bass player. When not touring with Miller, he did session work for a variety of artists. He quit Millers band in 1973 and signed a solo contract, releasing several albums in the late 70s. After 1978, Emmons began playing for a number of small labels, where he and Ray Pennington occassionally collaborated with some of Nashvilles finest side men as the Swing Shift Band. In 1993, Emmons began touring with the Everly Brothers. Throughout the 90s, he continued to do session work.