In later years, he did some session work with Price, Willie Nelson and Johnny Bush, and also was an occasional player on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion.
He spent 10 years playing for the Everly Brothers and was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981. He also played the famous steel riff on Judy Collins’ recording of “Someday Soon.” Emmons returned to Nashville in the mid-1970s and would remain one of the most imitated players of his time. For decades, the Southern California-based multi-instrumentalist has been a go-to guitarist and pedal steel player for musicians such as Eric Clapton, Buddy Miller, John Mayer, Bill Frisell, k.d. Greg Leisz is prolific, to say the least. His work in the late 1960s and early 1970s can also be heard on many records outside of the country genre, such as that of Gram Parsons, the Carpenters and Ray Charles. Podcast 66: Greg Leisz on Buddy Emmons and the Pedal Steel.
His next move took him across the country to California, where he soon found work with Roger Miller. The first jazz record to feature Emmons’ trademark instrument, it was critically praised in the pages of Downbeat magazine. It was during his years with Price that he recorded his greatest work as a solo instrumentalist, 1963’s Steel Guitar Jazz. Emmons remained with Price through 1967, by which point he had left Sho-Bud to start his own guitar company. As a member of the Cherokee Cowboys, his work on “Night Life” remains one of the definitive licks in the instrument’s history. This message was edited by Bruno Rasmussen on at 03:39 AM. Therefore, only black guitars will let your hear the true, none coloured, sound of the Pedal Steel Guitar. He also stayed busy on the road, taking a job in 1962 with Ray Price. Conclusion: Black guitars have no light interference with the sound of the instrument. By the 1960s, Emmons was continuing to help manufacture steel guitars for Sho-Bud, in addition to his growing session work.
It was on an early Tubb session that Emmons pioneered the use of the “split pedal” sound. His next band experience would come in 1957 as a member of the Texas Troubadours, the touring band for Ernest Tubb. He also became a highly sought-after session player, with Faron Young’s recording of “Sweet Dreams” being an early highlight. After a year with Dickens, he formed the Sho-Bud Company, which became one of the most successful steel companies in the business. Impressed with his playing, the Columbia Records superstar offered Emmons a job in his band, which meant a move to Nashville. It was while playing with Clark that he came to the attention of Grand Ole Opry star Little Jimmy Dickens.