Buddy Cage has passed.

Gene Tani · Post by **Gene Tani** » 14 Feb 2020 7:10 pm

Rest in Peace. He left us a lot of great music, his was a really distinctive voice on the instrument.

There aren't a lot of clear videos of his playing but the early one from the German TV studio and Don Odell's legends (with the D12 that was stolen and missing for a long time) are terrific

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... ls+legends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZWw87UgrwI

Dan Robinson · Post by **Dan Robinson** » 15 Feb 2020 9:08 am

A great loss. Buddy was one of a kind. RIP.

Ronald Ballister · Post by **Ronald Ballister** » 15 Feb 2020 9:37 am

Gene Tani wrote:Rest in Peace. He left us a lot of great music, his was a really distinctive voice on the instrument.

There aren't a lot of clear videos of his playing but the early one from the German TV studio and Don Odell's legends (with the D12 that was stolen and missing for a long time) are terrific

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... ls+legends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZWw87UgrwI

Very little information abut those recordings on YouTube. Do you have any idea what dates those shows were recorded?

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 15 Feb 2020 7:02 pm

Buddy had such a cool look in his younger years.. kind of half hippie/half bad ass with an attitude.... bob

Ronald Ballister · Post by **Ronald Ballister** » 15 Feb 2020 7:52 pm

When Buddy was young he was a very good looking guy. The picture of him someone posted earlier in full Nudie suit is how I choose to remember him. But when I met him it was many years later. He had one of his "alt" hairstyles although I can't remember which one! He was a little bit scary looking. I'm sure I came off as some sort of pedal steel fanboy when I approached him during a break. The minute he found out you were interested in steel he was happy to talk to you. I am eternally grateful for that. Buddy was a good guy.

Gene Tani · Post by **Gene Tani** » 15 Feb 2020 11:19 pm

from their description, Christmas 2015.

and I'm happy Buddy finally got his Hilt back, doesn't happen too often: https://pagesix.com/2014/08/21/grateful ... r-robbery/

Ronald Ballister wrote: Very little information abut those recordings on YouTube. Do you have any idea what dates those shows were recorded?

Jeremy Threlfall · Post by **Jeremy Threlfall** » 19 Feb 2020 2:23 pm

I’d like to think the joy of getting that special guitar back after so many years - and the cool way and the cool people who made that happen in such an unexpected way - added at least 12 months to Buddy’s life

Gene Tani · Post by **Gene Tani** » 23 Feb 2020 6:01 am

My local libraries didn't have "Home Home on the Road" so i bought CD and have been listening with only left earbud on in the car. Some of Buddy's maneuvers are so unexpected, I just have to bust out laughing. Now i'm sorry I never got to see hime live.

The libraries DID have:

13 Pine St
Best of New Riders
Where I come From

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 25 Feb 2020 5:14 pm

Really struggling with the loss of my friend Buddy Cage. Such a great guy and loyal friend. Never complained about his struggles with cancer, talked about it matter of factly.
Here are some pics I stumbled on of Buddy at a NRPS show back in the 1970s on his Emmons PP with Crawford Cluster, he told me that Jimmy installed for him. BTW, that is Buddy's wife Rose and daughter Elvira seen peeking from behind stage.

Steve Pawlak · Post by **Steve Pawlak** » 27 Feb 2020 6:28 am

No stories to tell Just a fan who loves his music
Sad he's gone

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 28 Feb 2020 11:35 am

Here are some pics form the 2015 PSGA show in Norwalk that Buddy attended.

Buddy and John Brabant

Buddy and Buck Reid

Buddy and Cindy Cashdollar

Buddy and Craig Stock

We will all miss Buddy and we were so honored to have him attend our show.
R.I.P.Buddy!

Chuck Martin · Post by **Chuck Martin** » 29 Feb 2020 2:57 pm

Just saw this. Hard to believe he's gone too. Buddy was one of the first players that motivated me to try pedal steel after I got hooked on Panama Red! RIP

Emmett Roch · Post by **Emmett Roch** » 1 Mar 2020 7:01 pm

Truly sad news. Been diggin' on Buddy since I first heard "Panama Red". Got to meet him in 2001 at a big festival in Utrecht that featured a lot of bands. We talked PSG's and he told me his amp had originally been a part of the Grateful Dead's Wall Of Sound.

Jon Smorada · Post by **Jon Smorada** » 3 Mar 2020 7:32 pm

It's truly amazing how many of us were inspired by Buddy, myself included. I met Buddy when he played with Hog Heaven, right before he hooked up with Jerry Garcia. It was him who inspired me to learn the PSG.

Fast forward to around 2000. He was playing a gig in Pittsburgh with Commander Cody and I bought a couple tickets. The morning of the show I got out of bed and felt excruciating pain. A trip to the ER showed I had a ruptured appendix and they wanted me to go into emergency surgery. I declined and after signing a waiver my friend drove me to Pittsburgh and I walked up 3 flights of stairs to the gig. Buddy looked at me and said, "Jon, you look like shit. What's wrong?" I couldn't believe he remembered me after all those years! I told him what was going on and I wanted to see him before I went into the hospital. He told me to get my ass there. I saw him a couple more times in Pittsburgh; the last time was with NRPS and his playing was awesome as always.

RIP Buddy my friend and mentor.

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 5 Mar 2020 2:36 pm

Here is a pic and the text of an email Buddy sent to me back on April 17, 2012. It was right after Levon Helm passed away:

"This pic was taken at Tappan, NY back in maybe 1999/2000. Stir Fried asked if I could get involved with Levon - I called our pal drummer Jack Scarangella to help out. Lee was fairly shaky, he had just had serious surgery on his throat/tongue and Jack & he could bang it out. Hell of a show. More than that, it was a good sign that he was fighting. And now...

Buddy

PS/I called Sandy, she put me on the phone and Levon was rarin' to go!

PPS/Scarangella knew ex-actly what to play to help him launch into a groove."

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 28 Mar 2020 8:11 pm

I somehow thought I had posted here - Buddy passed right after I had surgery and I guess my brain was fried for a while ... and I lost a couple of really good friends in the last few weeks - I guess I just lost track of some things for a while.

Anyway - like an awful lot of steel players my age, Buddy was the standard bearer for pedal steel in my world. I got to hang with him a couple of times, the last about 10-12 years ago after a NRPS show here, after driving Nelson and someone (can't remember) to/from a campus radio show during the day. Buddy was in early stages of cancer treatment and was crashed in the bus. But he was very gracious after the show, we got a chance to talk for a while.

I got to see them many times back in the day, long before I ever played steel. I really appreciated his intensity - great people have limited tolerance for BS and don't mess around. And he was great people - the planet has lost one of its great musical souls. RIP, Buddy.

Micky Byrne · Post by **Micky Byrne** » 4 Apr 2020 12:08 am

Soooo sad to hear about the passing of Buddy Cage. Many of the players over this side of the atlantic pond used to listen to his licks in the new riders of the purple sage.
R.I.P Buddy

Gene Tani · Post by **Gene Tani** » 5 May 2020 6:23 pm

His influence was huge.

Written in 2000, college freshman sees NRPS in 1972 and absolutely has to buy a steel but things don't go according to plan:

http://content.time.com/time/arts/artic ... 36,00.html

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 6 May 2020 1:54 am

Can't believe I missed this sad news.

New Riders were a big piece of my musical upbringing - it's like hearing an old teacher has passed.

Rich Upright · Post by **Rich Upright** » 7 May 2020 8:14 am

Buddy is prolly the biggest reason I play steel today..I remember buying the "Powerglide" album & wearing a hole in it.
Back about 22 years ago, I followed Buddy 2 or 3 steel players later in a band he was playing with & was terrified...those were some mighty big shoes to try & fill. Seen him live many times with NRPS & met him at a country music convention in Jersey sometime in the 90s. I miss him.

Mike DiAlesandro · Post by **Mike DiAlesandro** » 9 May 2020 5:06 pm

Gerry Simon posted this on a separate thread but i thought a few more people might see it here also. Gerry interviewed Buddy on St. Johns back in the 90's, good stuff! and thanks Gerry!

https://youtu.be/bZYz5cUhQfk

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 12 May 2020 10:59 am

When I was on the road with Alvin Crow and the Pleasant Valley Boys back in the mid-70's we did some shows opening for the NRPS. The first gig setup time, I went up to Buddy and introduced myself. He was warm and friendly, then asked me what my rig was. I told him I played Sho~Bud; he got a serious look on his face, touched my shoulder and said "oh... I'm sorry."

Then we both broke out laughing!

I only saw him sporadically after that, but wished we could have hung together more.

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 6 Jun 2020 6:24 am

Cool pic from the internet some of you may have seen before. It is a clip from the Festival Express tour in 1970 where the Grateful Dead toured with a number of notables including Ian & Sylvia's Great Speckled Bird. Buddy played steel with Ian and Syvia, as did Amos Garrett on guitar and ND Smart playing drums. Quite the band. Jerry Garcia was impressed by Buddy's playing and as the pic illustrates, jammed on his ZB Custom with Buddy while on train traveling between venues. Soon after Jerry asked Buddy to take his place in the New Riders and the rest is history.

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 6 Jun 2020 2:26 pm

Great shot John, I have that video, really good show, Burritos were there also.

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 7 Jun 2020 5:09 pm

No, don't believe the Burritos were on that one. The Band, the New Riders, Janis Joplin, Buddy Guy, The Dead and Ian & Sylvia is my recollection.. The Burritos played at the Stones Altamont (disaster) concert..

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