Sept. “Official Publication of the Southwestern Steel Guitar Association” 2015

Hello Everyone... Board of Directors: !This is a special edition of the “Steel Billy Easton, Chairman Guitar Rag”, dedicated to the memory of Buddy Troy Porter, Vice Chairman Emmons. As I am sure you know, we lost Buddy to a heart attack on July 21, 2015. We are all Otto Shill, Secretary feeling a huge loss of this steel guitar icon. Every time we sit down to play this instrument, Peggy Porter, Treasurer his influence is apparent; his great music, his Fred Justice, Events Director advancement of building techniques, his bringing awareness of the steel guitar to new This newsletter is published genres of music, the development of new monthly from P.O. Box 1128, tunings and pedal changes, and the list goes on Globe AZ. 85502 and presents and on. Further into this newsletter, you will find information for the members of the SWSGA, a 501(c)(3),non- some thoughts and anecdotes about this giant Billy Easton & Buddy Emmons profit organization. in our steel guitar world. His legacy will live on. Editor: Bill Tauson !Another great friend and guitarist, Al Bruno, died August 21, 2015, due to a respiratory ailment. All played lead guitar for many stars, worked for Dick Clark, Conway Twitty, and many others. He also played lead guitar in our staff Events: band at the SWSGA convention a few years ago. Al was a wonderful man and 2015 SWSGA we will miss him. Fall Jam at the !Scotty’s International Steel Guitar Convention is being held in St. Louis Sheraton Crescent on September 3rd, 4th & 5th. I will be there, representing the SWSGA, and will Hotel in Phoenix be playing on Friday afternoon. If any of you will be there, please look me up November 14th. and say hello. 2016 SWSGA Steel !Our fall jam has been scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2015, at Guitar Show the Sheraton Crescent Hotel. We will be meeting in the Crestview Room, the building on the southwest corner of the hotel property. As always, we will be !The 2016 show is loading in around 8:00 a.m, break for lunch, and close around 4:00 p.m. Come scheduled for January and join in or just listen and enjoy. There’s no admission charge, and you need 14th, 15th & 16th. Your not be a member of the SWSGA. The only requirement is that you have a good Board of Directors are time!! already hard at work to make this another great !Our annual show is scheduled at the Sheraton Crescent Hotel on show. January 14th, 15th & 16th, 2016. Your directors are working hard to ensure that !Mark your this show gets bigger and better every year. We are busy lining up the best in steel guitar players, teachers, vendors and all the things that go with our calendar and watch for celebration of the steel guitar. updates in the Steel Guitar ‘Rag’.

!We hope to see you at any or all of the activities going on in your https://www.facebook.com/pages/ SWSGA! Southwestern-Steel-Guitar- Association/190941210922336? !!!!!!!Billy Easton, Chairman fref=ts In Memory of Buddy Emmons

!Without a doubt, Buddy’s contribution to the steel guitar world is so vast, that it’s difficult to put into words. So many people touched by such an influence. So many wonderful stories.

!There are many great steel guitar players, but there was something unique about Buddy’s playing. His touch, timing, creative ideas and challenges The list goes on and on.

!For many years to come, Buddy will be remembered every time we hear a song, graced with his steel guitar. And every time we hear his unique playing sound and style, we’ll stop and say, “that’s Buddy!”

!It would be difficult to include all the great comments and stories about such a man. Below are just a few. I encourage you to visit the Steel Guitar Forum and enjoy more of them. Buddy Emmons

!Although Buddy and I never hung out on a regular basis, we always stayed in touch. !In 1968, he loaned me a black push-pull Emmons guitar to play when I went to work with Buck Owens in 1969. That started a love affair with the “Emmons Guitars” and Buddy Emmons that has lasted over 45 years. I am doing a solo album on which I did one of Buddy’s songs called, “Blue Jade”. Buddy did get to hear the album in it’s rough mix state. He said that he really liked it. Rest in Peace my old friend! !!!!!!!!!!JayDee Manses

!In the early 80’s, I had picked up a new VCR camera and recorder. Buddy was giving a concert at Hopsinghs in Santa Monica, Calif. I got there early and was driving around, finally finding Hopsinghs, parked around the back and got out of my car loaded down with the new gear. Who steps out of the van next to me, BUDDY EMMONS. I had met Buddy before in Nashville so we exchanged pleasantries and walked in the back door together. The sound man saw me and thought that I was with Buddy so he asked me if I would like to take the audio input out of the sound board. I, of course said, “yes!” Due to my inexperience, I put the recording on extra long play and the recording came out a bit garbled. So it goes for good intentions.

!!!!!!!!!!Jim Palenscar

!In the late 60’s, the band I was with attended the DJ convention in Nashville. We were visiting the “ShoBud Company” where instruments were set up and we were invited to play. The steel was a keyless ShoBud prototype. I was trying to figure out the tuning when an arm reached over my shoulder and helped me with the tuning. I looked up and it was BUDDY EMMOMS!!! He was so helpful and friendly. Needless to say a real shock and a lasting memory for me. He was and always will be the inspiration for my musical endeavors. !!!!!!!!!!Frank Carter

!Like everyone else, I followed Buddy Emmons as closely as I could and revered everything he ever played. I first saw him at a county fair in Arthur, Illinois in the early 1960’s when he was playing for Ernest Tubb. He had the first ShoBud I ever saw and after the show, I approached him and asked him about it. He was very generous with his time and information. I told him I would be in Nashville in the next few weeks and he advised me to see Shot Jackson. Well, I did hook up with Shot at the old ShoBud store on Broadway. He said that I could meet him at the stage door to the Opry that night, which I did. He took me backstage and left me there all evening. I was in a rehearsal room with the Texas Troubadour band and watched as Buddy put a high G# string on his ShoBud just before going onstage. I met him several times after that, but that night backstage at the Opry is forever emblazoned in my mind. !!!!!!!!!!Billy Easton Page 3 Steel Guitar ‘Rag’

Professor Twang’s E9 Grab Bag! Hi fellow steelers, John McClung here (aka Mr. Twang / Professor Twang) coming to you from Olympia, WA. For questions about this lesson, or inquiries about private Skype lessons, write to me at: [email protected], or phone me at 310-480-0717. I welcome suggestions for topics for this column! http://steelguitarlessons.com Buddy Emmons: an appreciation

It’s already been a month since the passing of technical innovations that Buddy came up with: steel guitar legend and genius Buddy Emmons, splitting a single “Bud Isaacs” pedal into our now- but the void he leaves behind feels larger to me standard pedals A and B; adding the “chromatic” now more than ever. !at’s because I’ve been strings on the high end of E9; and perhaps most listening again to his many re - important, his engineering ideas cordings, watching youtube that led to revolutionary pedal steel videos, and re-reading some of changers that could both raise and the many tributes to Buddy lower a string, as evident in Sho- online. !e more I read, the more Bud steels, then later in Emmons I learned about what a multi- “push-pull” steels. dimensional talent Buddy truly He was also an early user of a D was. note as the highest pitched string Here are some great write-ups on the C6 tuning, replacing the about Buddy and his importance high G note which he found too to the steel guitar: thin-sounding and didn’t use much at all. Buddy himself writing about his ideas for I tend to think of the lever change lowering pedal steels: string 6 from G# to F# as an Emmons change, http://www.buddyemmons.com/TEGuitar.htm though I’m not sure if that’s historically accurate. Tributes from various sources: All of this is in addition to his musical http://nodepression.com/article/buddy- innovations and versatility. Do you recall the "rst emmons-appreciation time you heard his “Steel Guitar Jazz” album? http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2013/08/ Released in 1963 when Buddy was just 26 years of 25/peter-cooper-on-music-a-salute-to-steel- age, did it make you want to throw in the towel guitar-pioneer-buddy-emmons/ and give up playing? I’m grateful I didn’t hear that until I was already well on my steel guitar path, http://www.npr.org/2015/07/30/427800540/b which began in 1972, I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t uddy-emmons-the-pedal-steel-guitarist- have had the guts to tackle the instrument, with who-taught-everybody-to-play the bar set that high. Info on all aspects of Buddy’s life and playing: Ironically, it was other Emmons tracks that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Emmons seduced me into loving the sound of pedal steel, E9 history with Buddy chiming in: which then led inevitably to playing pedal steel http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/0 and emulating “THAT sound.” First it was Judy 02738.html Collins’ “Someday Soon;” followed by “Wichita I somehow wasn’t properly aware of some key Lineman” on “Suite Steel: !e Pedal Steel Guitar continued ᮣ Page 4 Steel Guitar ‘Rag’ Professor Twang’s E9 Grab Bag!

Album”—a great 1970 album of largely original to me that anything he attempted, he per - work by Emmons, Rusty Young, Sneaky Pete fected...He was very intelligent, a succinct writer Kleinow, Red Rhodes and JayDee Maness (sadly, with a wicked sense of humor. never reissued on CD as far as I know). And his steel playing, of course, was always I was fortunate to be able to meet Buddy when perfect.” I helped Tom Bradshaw produce a Buddy Rest in peace, Buddy, we thank you for all you Emmons concert in Los Angeles in the summer did to show the true potential of our beloved of 1981. I was just another star-struck steel musical instrument. player, but I studied his playing closely, trying Till next time…play perty! to !gure out how he could play so clean and fast. Professor Twang He did give me a clue a"er the show, explaining how his ring !nger shadows his picking middle !nger, doing a lot of his right hand blocking. When I played my own gig that night, I was infused with Emmons “Zen”, and got as close as I’ve ever been to being able to play with Buddy’s speedy and clean technique. All of us have favorite steel players and idols. Buddy will always be at the top of my personal list of heroes; his originality, technique, taste, tone, meter, pitch and musicality are, in my view, unmatched. Despite our great loss, we must remember to be grateful that Buddy le" such a wonderful legacy of excellent and inspiring recordings. I’m especially thankful that the Big E took the time Buddy and me, at his L.A. concert, 1981. to write great instructional material, and even for a spell chimed in o"en on the Steel Guitar Forum online, where he generously shared with the world many of his “secrets” as well as his personal history with steel guitar. Bobby Lee, Steel Guitar Forum creator and webmaster, had a great post about Buddy I’d like to close with: “It’s hard to explain to outsiders what Buddy Emmons means to steel guitarists everywhere. It isn’t just that he was the world’s greatest player. He showed how everything we imagine For the concert, my band Elvis Montana backed in music is possible. He redesigned the instru - up Buddy. L to R: Norman Stepansky, bass; Frank ment itself to remove all limitations on what it Michels, guitar; Buddy Emmons, steel; John McClung, promoter; Dennis Je!ries, piano; Sonny could do. On record, he turned routine 3-chord Pugar, drums. country songs into sonic masterpieces. It seems Ax Ron ??????? By Ron Pruter Welcome to my latest addition to this fine publication. Please Email me at [email protected] and I’ll try to answer your questions, each month, as space allows. Questions like, what’s a comp, what’s a split, why gauged rollers? You name it. Sounds like fun. I’m looking forward to your questions.

!First, I want to thank the late, great Buddy Emmons for his huge contribution to the pedal steel guitar. Both his mechanical ingenuity and playing which I suspect, in my life time, will never be matched.

! Today we’re going to talk Pick-ups. (Not that type)

The basic types, differences and some interesting ways to wire them. The main two are double coil humbuckers and single coil pick-ups. The first one offers quite a bit of versatility and hum (noise canceling). The second is known pretty much for it’s bright, cutting clarity.

!In general, pick-ups are constructed by wrapping thousands of turns of hair like wire around a magnet. The number of turns and the material of the magnet are two important factors in deciding what the pick-up will sound like. In general, the more wraps, the more powerful it will sound at the cost of high end loss. Some times to compensate for the loss of highs, stronger ceramic magnets are used. I’m a firm believer in Alnico magnets which are a blend of aluminum, nickel, and cobalt. It is said to be, “The Musical Magnet”. BTW, also said of it’s use in speakers.

!The most obvious way to tell the two apart is to count the coils or the rows of pole pieces. Sometimes the pole pieces are adjustable screws and sometimes just metal slugs. BTW, some pick-ups don’t use individual slugs but use a bar or plate turned upright instead. The famous Bill Laurence 705 is a classic example.

! Some options are: (A) Series/Parallel (B) Coil select (C) In Phase/Out of Phase

Definition of sound: (A)=Series the typical humbucker sound. Big, loud, full noise canceled. !! (A)=Parallel-Less output, bright, similar to single coil, full noise canceled. !! (B)=Bridge coil on alone-classic single coil sound, no noise canceling. !! (B)=Neck coil on alone- A little less bright than above. No noise canceling. !! (B)=Both coils on- as (A) if in series, which is the standard. !! (C)=In Phase would be like (A) in series, but out of phase sounds very !!! interesting. Very nasal. Midrangey. It does cost you volume but you can !!! bring the volume back by adding a volume control creating an !!! adjustable amount of “out of phase”. Very cool.

!!!!!!!!!KEEP ON STEELIN‘ Ron Steel Guitar ‘Rag’ Page 6 Kevin’s Kromatics

https://www.facebook.com/ Don’t forget to “Like Us” pages/Goodrich-Sound-LLC/ on Facebook! 1662157547348052?fref=ts

!The Emmons Tone...... The Emmons Setup...... In the Style of Emmons...... The Emmons Guitars...... Where and how do you begin to acknowledge the impact of Buddy Emmons. His tunings and the music he brought to our instrument is probably unmatched. Over here at Goodrich, we were very hopeful that Buddy would start playing again. We were sent some noisy pedals to repair from Buddy. He wrote us back a real nice note. So sad! For me, to actually pick out a Buddy Emmons gem to show here was nearly impossible. Where do you begin? Everything he played was worthy of study!

!Well, I decided to show the cute little turnaround he plays in his classic, “Orange Blossom Special”. He plays it in A but I tabbed it in C. Not easy to play at his tempo. I hope you enjoy this and remember to keep those fingers in the strings!

!We posted a spectacular live version of Buddy’s SS Cool on our Facebook Page. Probably his best outro of that ever heard, let alone video taped. Crazy great! Till next month......

1 8 1 2 8 8 2 3 3 4 8 7 8 8 8 4 5 8A 8 8A 8A 8 5 6 8 6 7 8 7 8 8 9 9 10 10

1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 8A 8 5 6 8B 8 6 7 8 8 7 8 8 8L 8L 8 8 9 9 10 10 Hear Kevin play the lick @..... http://steelguitarcafe.com/sgr Advertisers & Sponsors:

John McClung

Steel Guitars Mr. Twang World’s First Class Steel Guitars Pedal Steel Guitar Sessions! Casuals! Lessons Mullen Guitar Co. Inc. Mike Mantey Dobro! Lap Steel Vocals Guitar 11906 County Rd. MM Sales/Production Manager Flagler, CO 80815 Cell 310-480-0717 Email: [email protected] Ph. 970-664-2518 www.mullenguitars.com [email protected] Fax 970-664-2519 E-Mail [email protected] www.steelguitarlessons.comwww.steelguitarlessons.com

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“Trader’s Corner” (Trader’s Corner is available to paid members at no costs. Contact the editor with your items.)

For Sale For Sale: 1975 “MSA” S-10 4 x 4 Rosewood with mica trim in white, Hilton volume pedal-$125. super sustain with an Emmons style pedal, with case, $600.

Call Daun (Don) Suarez: (520) 682-6609. 2007 “Excel” S-12, 7 pedals & 5 knee levers, black mica with chrome trim, with case...... $750

Both in good condition. Contact Jimmy Fox (928) 692-4223. Page 8 Steel Guitar “Rag” Steel Guitar Instructors: Troy Porter in Globe Az. is available for E-9th instruction at any level. Call Troy at (928) 425-5520.

Daun Suarez is available for beginning and intermediate instruction in the north Tucson/Marana area. Call Daun at (520) 682-6609.

Rich Brennion is available at all levels for E-9th instruction in the Tucson area. Call Rich at (520) 661-5682

Blackie Taylor, at “Blackie Taylor Music”, in Riverside, Ca, is available to teach all tunings, pedal and non-pedal guitar, dobro, reading music, etc. Blackie is located at 5950 Mission Blvd., Riverside, Ca. from noon to 6:30 P.M. (951) 686-4010.

John McClung teaches E9 lessons in his Olympia, Wa. home studio, or online via “Skype”. Call John at (310) 480-0717 or email him at, “[email protected]”.

Margie Mays is available for teaching non pedal, all tunings, E9th pedal steel and learning to read sheet music. Call Margie in Mesa at (480) 807-5443, or email her at, “[email protected]”.

Rick Schmidt is available to teach bass, non-pedal steel, and pedal steel guitar, both E9th and C6th tunings in the North San Diego County area, Prescott Arizona, or online via, “Skype”, specializing in improvisation and harmony. Call Rick at (951) 442-9621 or email him at, “[email protected]”.

Fred Justice teaches steel guitar in the Phoenix/Mesa area. Call Fred at (480) 986-2599 or (480) 235-8797, or email him at, “[email protected]”.

Chuck Lettes teaches pedal steel guitar, (E9th and C6th), and lap steel lessons in the Denver, Co. area. Contact Chuck at (720) 545-4803, “[email protected]”, or his website, “chucklettes.com”.

Contact Billy Easton (702) 280-9557 and your listing will appear here!

480-986-2599 [email protected] www.justicesteelguitars.com Color Bar Labeling Option

Black and White Pro Labeling Option

Rear Panel Special Power On/Off circuit to minimize “pops” and speaker damage. Lightweight, Approximately 35 pounds + EQ unit (Equipped Super quiet Mute circuit with LED indicator. with the Telonics 15” NEO Speaker). Overload LED indicator. High output level available on demand, 500 Watt Power Amp Buffered tuner output (jacks on both front and rear panels). section. Remains active when mute is on. Studio Pre-EQ parallel effects loop with adjustable SEND and Pre-EQ insert for 3-wire Pot Pedal hook-up. RETURN levels to accommodate any EFX unit(s) Auxiliary stereo input for home practice or solo gigs with front panel (Rear panel mounted). level control. For CD/mp3 players or a second effects return. Special “Blend” EQ control for personalizing your tone or Also routed to DI for recording. adjusting for venue (Once properly adjusted, volume and blend Built-in electronic reverb with front panel level control and are the only adjustments generally used). remote control jack. New built-in “BRO” effect with remove control jack, Telonics “BRO” bar included. New master Wet/Dry fader – controls internal effects and parallel efx loop. New Pedal Switch jack on rear panel. Allows switching “BRO” and Reverb remotely. Balanced XLR Direct output for live venue, stage or studio use. Includes ground lift switch. New Analog DI modeling for Direct out. New high output headphone amp with separate volume control. Can be used as a second effects SEND. Superb string separation at all volume levels. No Muddiness! All pure analog, main signal chain. No digitization of your sound thru A/D or D/A converters. Warm tube-like, even-order harmonic sound with crystal clear highs. Ultra low noise – studio quality. Exceptionally high headroom. Front Mounted Power Amplifier on-off switch for studio use. Highest Quality Telonics NEO Speaker (12 or 15 inch). (Shown with Standard Protective Metal Grill) New highly abrasion-resistant outer surface, durable Baltic Birch TCA-500 Combo Pro Amplifier ply construction throughout. Made for years of trouble free use. www.telonics.comwww.telonics.com (480) 892-4444 ext. 102 Proudly made in the U.S.A. by musicians and engineers. The Steel Guitar “Rag” is the Of!cial Publication of the Southwestern Steel Guitar Association. www.swsteelguitar.com

Please feel free to contact any member of the Board with questions or concerns:

Billy Easton, Chairman, (702) 280-9557, [email protected], Troy Porter, Vice Chairman, (928) 200-1624, [email protected], Otto Shill, Secretary, (602) 684-9228, [email protected], Peggy Porter, Treasurer, (928) 701-1488, [email protected], Fred Justice, Events Director, (480) 986-2599, [email protected].

Regarding this newsletter, or material for future issues, contributing articles, photos, etc, contact: Bill Tauson, Editor, (562) 652-9977 or email at, “[email protected]”.

***Invite a friend or fellow musician to join the SWSGA!***

P.O. Box 1129 Globe, AZ. 85502