Frank Freniere
From:
The First Coast
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Posted 21 Jan 2016 4:56 pm |
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Doyle Grisham is the long-time steel guitarist for Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band and session player on numerous hits by Randy Travis, Dan Seals, Jim Glaser, Dr. Hook, Jimmy Buffett and many others.
Here is what he had to say about Buddy:
"I've been around Buddy ever since 1964, but can't say that I knew him well. And, I'm not one to want to bother people of that stature, so any time that I was around him, I was mostly at a distance and didn't talk to him much. I am, also, a guitar player and as many times as I was around Chet Atkins, I never did more than just speak to him.
Here is all I can offer:
One time, in the fall of 1964, Ray Price was playing the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas and I was living in Dallas at the time playing another club. A few of my musician friends were playing that night, but wanted to try and see Ray, Buddy, and the rest of the band, so we decided to go to the Longhorn about the time that we thought they would be unloading and getting set up for the show. We got there around 4 pm or so and as I walked up to the side of Ray's bus, there was Buddy getting something out of the baggage compartment. As I was already close to him, I did speak, told him that I played locally, and wanted to meet him as I was playing that night and couldn't come back for the show and dance. We talked for a few minutes more and he then said for me to wait right there. In a few minutes, he came back with 2 sets of Emmons strings for the E9th and C6th tunings and gave them to me. I thanked him, went on my way, but was very impressed with his thoughtfulness to do that for someone that he didn't even know.
When I moved to Nashville in 1966, I was already working with Roy Drusky from the Grand Ole Opry, but was trying to learn my way around town and meet as many musicians as I could for possible work, etc. I heard about a jam session going on one night at one of the houses on 18th Avenue South and thought that may be a good place to hang out for awhile. When I got there, Buddy was playing and jamming. I listened for about an hour or so as Buddy was tearing it up as usual, then they took a break. I don't know why I did, but I asked him if I could sit behind his steel for a couple of minutes. He said that he didn't mind, so I sat down and just strummed across his steel strings. To my touch, they were so out of tune that I couldn't even make a decent chord on his steel that sounded in tune, but he sounded great on the same instrument. I'm not talking about playing talent, I'm just talking about putting the bar down and trying to play in tune at that position. I never got a chance to ask him about it, but maybe he was already experimenting with or using the tuning straight-up technique that he was known for using in later years.
One other time, as I am a guitar player, also, I got asked to play a few dates with Ray Price, playing electric guitar. To my enjoyment, Buddy was playing steel on those dates. Most players will think I am crazy for saying this, but there was one night that Buddy had a very unusual "off" night. He was blunting strings, missing chimes, etc., as we all have done, but never expected from Buddy Emmons. And, as Ray wanted everyone to play very soft on stage and I was standing behind Buddy's amp, I could hear him very well and couldn't believe my ears, but glad that he was, at least, human!!!
On one of those Ray Price trips that I made, playing electric guitar, with Buddy playing steel, he and I would have an occasional conversation when I could think of something that he may be interested in talking about instead of steel guitars. One of those subjects was Jimmy Day. I think that I asked Buddy if he ever heard from Jimmy and he said that he thought that Jimmy was mad at him because Step One Records brought Jimmy up to play on one of Ray's Step One CDs and they weren't happy with what Jimmy played and Buddy said that he had to go and replace it and he said that he thought Jimmy found out about it and blamed him for it!!!"
Jan. 21, 2016
You can see this and other tributes at www.buddyemmons.com
Last edited by Frank Freniere on 22 Jan 2016 9:23 am; edited 4 times in total |
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Lonnie Portwood
From:
Jacksonville, fl. USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2016 7:48 pm
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Frank, I had the feelings as you with the same two people, Chet and Buddy. Chet played years ago with the local Symphony Orch. and I had the opportunity to attend the afternoon rehearsal. I had brought an album hoping to get His signature but didn't go up to meet and get autograph. I revered Chet so much, I couldn't bring myself to impose on His time. Same thing with Buddy. Appreciate the history. Lonnie
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Music is probably the most "spiritual of mankinds emotions, and when practised with a pure heart, can lead one into the presence of God, who invented it. Lonnie Portwood |
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