Buddy Gene Emmons (27 January 1937 – 21 July 2015) from Mishawaka, Indiana was an American musician and most famous for his work on the pedal steel guitar. Emmons is considered by many as the world’s foremost steel guitarist. His work spanned country, swing, jazz and folk, and he has recorded with many famous musicians, including Linda Ronstadt, The Everly Brothers, Ernest Tubb, John Hartford, Ray Price and Judy Collins. He made significant contributions to the evolution of the pedal steel guitar itself by splitting one of the pedals into two and adding a pair of strings to expand the tuning.

Emmons is a member of the Pedal Steel Guitarist Hall of Fame.