One of the most influential znd innovative steel guitarists in country music, Buddy Emmons, died Wednesday June 29. He was 78, according to Billboard.
Emmons was naturally gifted, his love for music began while he was a child after his father bought him a six-string lap steel and signed him up for guitar lessons. At the age of 16, he dropped out of school to play with local bands, according to Billboard. His talent would soon bring him to Detroit where he'd work with musician Casey Clark.
Throughout his career, Emmons worked with musicians such as Ray Rice, Ray Charles, George Strait, and Judy Collins. To many, he was a revolutionary in the realm of country music. according to NPR.
Emmons took an already intricate instrument, the pedal-steel guitar, and made it even more unique, developing a whole new sound.
Steve Fishell, a pedal-steel guitarist who considers Emmons to be one of his biggest inspirations, commented on this tragic news. "It's a towering loss in the pedal steel community and to music lovers everywhere," he said, according to the Rolling Stone.
Emmons recorded his most well-known work as a solo instrumentalist in 1963 with Steel Guitar Jazz. In 1981, after 28 years of playing and recording revolutionary music, Emmons was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame, according to Billboard.
He died in his home of Nashville, Tennessee, seven years after his wife, Peggy, according to the Rolling Stone.
