Buddy Cage (February 18, 1946 – February 5, 2020) was an American

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings, enabling more varied and complex music to be played than with other steel guitar designs. Like all steel guitars, it can play ...

ist, best known as a longtime member of the

New Riders of the Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969 and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. The band is sometimes referred to ...

.New Riders of the Purple Sage Biography
at

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

Popular both as a performer and

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

, he played with many bands and recording artists, including

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian country, pop and adult contemporary music singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Brewer & Shipley Brewer & Shipley were an American folk rock duo who enjoyed their peak success in the late 1960s through the 1970s. The duo consisted of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal ha ...

David Bromberg David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. David Bromberg biographyat Billboard.com An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass rock, blues rock, folk rock, jazz rock, country rock, ...

, and the Zen Tricksters.

Musical career

Buddy Cage learned to play pedal steel guitar at a young age. By the mid-1960s he was working as a professional musician, both onstage and as a session player for the Arc Records label.Bossert, Robbie
Buddy Cage Interview
at The Cool GrooveLiner notes for ''Hard Times'' – Mickey McGivern & the Mustangs Featuring Billy Adams (Arc #766), 1967. "Buddy Cage at a tender age of 21 is considered one of North America's No.1 steel, lead guitarists. Buddy, a Torontonian, demonstrates why on this recording." When the folk music duo of

Ian and Sylvia Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975. History Early ...

decided to go electric in 1969, he joined their band, known as the Great Speckled Bird.Hanegraaf, Hans
Buddy Cage Interview
at American Music Belgium, March 23, 2002 Great Speckled Bird was part of the

Festival Express ''Festival Express'' is a 2003 British documentary film about the 1970 train tour of the same name across Canada taken by some of North America's most popular rock bands, including Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, Flying Burrito ...

concert tour in 1970.Buddy Cage Interview
at IGN Music, July 22, 2004 From 1969 to 1972, Cage also recorded four albums with

, and one album with

. It was on the Festival Express tour that the

became acquainted with Cage. The New Riders were a psychedelic influenced

country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

band that had been founded by

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...

of the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

, along with John Dawson and David Nelson. The New Riders and the Dead would perform concerts together, with Garcia playing pedal steel for the New Riders, then playing

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

and singing with the Dead. After the Festival Express Tour, Cage left Great Speckled Bird and joined the group Hog Heaven, who had for years backed singer Tommy James as the Shondells. (He co-wrote one song on the group's album for Roulette Records.) Near the end of 1971, Jerry Garcia left the New Riders, enabling them to headline their own concert tours. Cage was invited to join the band as Garcia's replacement. Cage was the New Riders' pedal steel guitar player from 1971 to 1982, except for a period of about a year in the late 1970s. The New Riders were quite popular. They toured extensively, and released a number of albums. During this same period Cage continued working as a session musician, recording with various musical artists, including

and Robert Hunter. In 1974,

asked him to play on recording sessions for the album '' Blood on the Tracks''. In the years after Cage's departure from the New Riders, he continued working with many different bands and musicians, including Solar Circus, Stir Fried, The Brooklyn Cowboys, the Zen Tricksters,

Mike Gordon Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon plays banjo, piano, and guitar. He is a filmmaker ('' Rising Low'', '' Outs ...

, Midnight Rain and Bone Alley. The New Riders of the Purple Sage, led by John Dawson, but without Buddy Cage or David Nelson, had continued touring and recording albums from 1982 until Dawson's retirement from the music business in 1997. In 2005, Cage and Nelson re-formed the New Riders of the Purple Sage.Greenhaus, Mike
"Buddy Cage and the New Riders Ride Again"
, jambands.com, June 23, 2006 The impetus came from sessions Cage did with Stir Fried. They released three albums — '' Wanted: Live at Turkey Trot'', '' Where I Come From'', and '' 17 Pine Avenue''. Cage also worked as a session musician with other artists, including collaborations with Boris Garcia,

George Hamilton IV George Hege Hamilton IV (July 19, 1937 – September 17, 2014) was an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, switching to country music in the early 1960s. Biography Hamilton was born in Winston-Salem, ...

, and Richard Buckner. In 2005 Cage participated in the three-date "Steelin' and Slidin' Festival" in the Netherlands with

Derek Trucks Derek Trucks (born June 8, 1979) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He became an official member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1999. In 2010, he formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band with his wife, blues si ...

Sonny Landreth Clide Vernon "Sonny" Landreth (born February 1, 1951) is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, and settled in Lafayette, Louisiana. He lives in Br ...

, Dan Tyack, Johan Jansen and Rene van Barneveld. Cage died from

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

at the age of 73 on February 5, 2020.

Discography

*''Hard Times'' – Mickey McGivern & the Mustangs (1967) *''

This Way Is My Way ''This Way Is My Way'' is the second studio album by Canadian country pop artist Anne Murray and was released in 1969 on Capitol Records. Initially the album was available only in Canada. It was later made available in the U.S after Murray's cha ...

'' —

(1969) *'' Honey, Wheat and Laughter'' — Anne Murray (1970) *'' Great Speckled Bird'' — Great Speckled Bird (1970) *'' Straight, Clean and Simple'' — Anne Murray (1971) *'' Talk It Over in the Morning'' — Anne Murray (1971) *'' Rural Space'' —

(1972) *''

Powerglide The Powerglide is a two-speed automatic transmission designed by General Motors. It was available primarily on Chevrolet from January 1950 through 1973, although some Pontiac models also used this automatic transmission after the fire at the H ...

'' —

(1972) *'' Gypsy Cowboy'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (1972) *''

The Adventures of Panama Red ''The Adventures of Panama Red'' is the fourth country rock album by the New Riders of the Purple Sage, released in 1973. It is widely regarded as one of the group's best efforts, and reached number 55 on the Billboard charts. The album inclu ...

'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (1973) *'' Home, Home on the Road'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (1974) *'' Brujo'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (1974) *''Tales of the Great Rum Runners'' — Robert Hunter (1974) *'' Blood on the Tracks'' —

(1975) *'' Midnight on the Water'' —

(1975) *''

Oh, What a Mighty Time ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' is an album by the country rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage. Their sixth studio album and their seventh album overall, it was released by Columbia Records in 1975. ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' was produced by Bo ...

'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (1975) *'' New Riders'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (1976) *''

Who Are Those Guys? ''Who Are Those Guys?'' is the eighth studio album and tenth album overall by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was recorded at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California, in October and November 1976. It was produced ...

'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (1977) *''

Marin County Line ''Marin County Line'' is the ninth studio album and eleventh album overall by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Released in 1977, it was their third and final album on the MCA Records label.Feelin' All Right'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (1981) *''Heart on a Sleeve'' —

Tom Russell Thomas George Russell (born 1947/1948) is an American singer-songwriter. Although most strongly identified with the Americana music tradition, his music also incorporates elements of folk, rock, and the cowboy music of the American West. Many ...

(1984) *''Empty Bottles'' — The Chili Brothers (1988) *''Step Right Up'' — Solar Circus (1992) *''Twilight Dance'' — Solar Circus (1992) *''A Historical Retrospective'' — Solar Circus (1993) *'' Live on Stage'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (1993) *''Prova De Amor'' — Jorge Ferreira (1995) *''Rock 'n' Roll Heaven'' — Frank Novato (1995) *''Slip into Somewhere'' – Slipknot (1997) *''Predicting the Weather'' – Midnight Rain (1998) *''Stir Fried'' — Stir Fried (1999) *''Electrafried'' — Stir Fried (1999) *''Terrapin'' — Joe Gallant and Illuminati (1999) *''Doin' Time on Planet Earth'' — Brooklyn Cowboys (1999) *''Last of the Blue Diamond Miners'' — Stir Fried (2000) *''Dodging Bullets'' — Brooklyn Cowboys (2002) *''Jamazon'' — Reverend Tor (2002) *''The Other Man in Black: The Ballad of Dale Earnhardt'' — Brooklyn Cowboys (2002) *''Try Again'' — Mike Ireland & Holler (2002) *'' Worcester, MA, 4/4/73'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (2003) *'' Boston Music Hall, 12/5/72'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (2003) *''Shaking Off the Weirdness'' — Zen Tricksters (2003) *''Redemption'' — The Last Hombres (2003) *''

Inside In ''Inside In'' is Mike Gordon's first solo album and was released August 26, 2003. This album was wholly produced during and after the movie, ''Outside Out'' and uses aural tracks from it. Included in the liner notes are lyrics to some tracks, ar ...

'' —

(2003) *'' Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (2004) *'' Armadillo World Headquarters, Austin, TX, 6/13/75'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (2005) *''Brand New Stranger'' — JJ Baron (2006) *''Everything Is One'' — Pete Francis (2006) *''Grace's Bell'' — Ben Rudnick (2007) *''Gift: A Tribute to Ian Tyson'' — various artists (2007) *''Iris Nova'' — Mudville (2007) *''Patience on Friday'' —

Ryan Montbleau Ryan Michael Montbleau (born June 18, 1977, in Peabody, Massachusetts, United States) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He annually tours across the U.S. with the Ryan Montbleau Band. Background Although he received his first gui ...

(2007) *'' S.U.N.Y., Stonybrook, NY, 3/17/73'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (2007) *'' Wanted: Live at Turkey Trot'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (2007) *''Once More Into the Bliss'' — Boris Garcia (2008) *''

We Are All One ''We Are All One'' is an album by Michael Falzarano. It was released by Woodstock Records on October 28, 2008. Michael Falzarano is a rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage an ...

'' —

Michael Falzarano Michael Falzarano is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has been a professional musician since the 1970s, most notably in Hot Tuna, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Memphis Pilgrims, a Memphis-style rock and roll/blues b ...

(2008) *''Songs for the Soldier'' — Lance Larson (2008) *''

Winterland, San Francisco, CA, 12/31/77 ''Winterland, San Francisco, CA, 12/31/77'' is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was recorded live on December 31, 1977, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California. It was released on April 16 ...

'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (2009) *'' Where I Come From'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (2009) *''Stroller'' — The Crybabies (2010) *''My North Country Home'' —

(2011) *''Our Blood'' — Richard Buckner (2011) *'' 17 Pine Avenue'' — New Riders of the Purple Sage (2012) *''

Family Business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by Consanguinity , blood, marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business a ...

'' –

Ronnie Penque Ronnie Penque (born March 23, 1962) is a bassist, singer and songwriter who has been working in the music industry for over 30 years. He has been the bassist for the country rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage since 2005. The New Riders emer ...

(2019) *''

Thanksgiving in New York City ''Thanksgiving in New York City'' is a live album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It contains the complete concert recorded at the Academy of Music (New York City), Academy of Music in Manhattan at the late show on Nov ...

'' – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2019) *'' Lyceum '72'' – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2022) *'' Hempsteader'' – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2024)

References

External links

www.thenewriders.com
New Riders of the Purple Sage official website
www.nrps.net
Archival website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cage, Buddy 1946 births 2020 deaths Pedal steel guitarists American rock guitarists American male guitarists Deaths from multiple myeloma in the United States New Riders of the Purple Sage members Great Speckled Bird (band) members 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians