Buddy Emmons - "The Big E"
Buddy Gene Emmons was born on January 27, 1937 in Mishawaka, Indiana and is a true Steel Guitar Legend. He is often referred to as "The World's Foremost Steel Guitarist". Buddy started his professional career in Little Jimmy Dickens' Band and was a key musician in the bands of Honky Tonk Legends Ernest Tubb and Ray Price. Together with Dobroist Shot Jackson he was the founder of the Sho-Bud Company, one of the first to exclusively build Steel Guitars. Later he developed his own Steel Guitar, the "Emmons Guitar". The old instruments from these days are still wanted by players because of their excellent quality and tone.
The musical career of Buddy Emmons shows a wide range of styles, from hard Country Music to Jazz. He was the first Steel Guitarist to record a Jazz album. In the studio he worked with famous artists like Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Roger Miller, Darrell McCall and Little Jimmy Dickens, just to name a few. He also recorded several solo albums and worked in interesting musical projects with Guitarist Lenny Breau and Fiddler Buddy Spicher. In recent years he teamed up with singer/producer Ray Pennington and recorded several albums with Western Swing and Big Band Music.
Buddy Emmons is a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.