Tommy Detamore, the acclaimed pedal steel guitarist, engineer, and producer behind Texas’s famed Cherry Ridge Studio, has died. His wife confirmed that he passed away on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, sparking an outpouring of tributes from across the country music world.
Who Was Tommy Detamore?
Tommy Detamore built a career that spanned more than four decades and touched nearly every corner of country music. Best known as a masterful pedal steel guitar player, he was also a respected recording engineer and producer whose fingerprints ended up on records from both classic and rising Texas country artists.
His journey began far from Texas, in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he first picked up guitar in high school. While attending college in Virginia, Detamore developed a love for pedal steel guitar and studied under steel guitar legend Buddy Charleton, a mentorship that shaped the rest of his musical life.
From Sideman to Studio Owner
Detamore’s big break came in 1981 when he relocated to Texas to play steel guitar for Darrell McCall. A year later, he became the mainstay steel player for country star Moe Bandy, touring with him for seven years and performing on iconic stages and programs including the Grand Ole Opry, Hee-Haw, and Nashville Now. That period also led to work alongside Johnny Bush, Ronnie Milsap, and Clay Baker.
In 1991, Detamore opened Cherry Ridge Studio in Floresville, Texas, which grew into a destination recording space for Texas country artists and musicians well beyond the state’s borders. Over time, he shifted increasingly into the role of engineer and producer, becoming a trusted creative partner for a wide range of performers.
A Career Behind the Board and on Stage
Throughout his career, Detamore worked with an extensive roster of country and Americana artists, including Ray Price, Sunny Sweeney, Robert Earl Keen, Jim Lauderdale, Micky Dolenz, Dallas Wayne, Doug Sahm, Augie Myers, The Texas Tornados, Raul Malo, Bill Kirchen, Redd Volkaert, The Derailers, Gary Nicholson, Eleven Hundred Springs, Mando Saenz, and Tommy Alverson, among many others.
More recently, Detamore served as master engineer on Ty Myers’s breakout 2025 album The Select, and he contributed to recent projects from Jesse Daniel, including Rollin’ On and Beyond These Walls, as well as work with Johnny Falstaff and Amber Digby.
He was also honored during his career as a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.
Faith and Community Involvement
Beyond his professional studio and touring work, Detamore was deeply involved in church music. He played guitar and steel guitar at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, served as Pastor of Music at Oak Hills Baptist Church in Floresville, and also performed at First Baptist Church in Floresville and Life Church in La Vernia, Texas.
Tributes Pour In From the Country Music Community
News of Detamore’s passing prompted heartfelt tributes from artists he mentored and worked alongside. Singer-songwriter Sunny Sweeney, who worked with Detamore on her debut album Heartbreakers Hall of Fame, remembered him as a mentor who taught her more about producing than she could have learned in a classroom, noting that his influence could be heard across all of her music.
Detamore’s wife, Sandra, who was married to him for 41 years, described him as a respected musician, producer, collaborator, and creative force in country music, adding that his talent allowed him to lift others up and help shape the sound of country music heard today. She also shared some of the affectionate nicknames friends and colleagues used for him over the years, including “Dr. Tom,” “Sir Punchalot,” and “Drama Papa.”
Fellow musicians and fans also shared condolences online, reflecting on the deep well of institutional knowledge that pedal steel players like Detamore carried and the loss felt across the tight-knit steel guitar community.
Legacy
Tommy Detamore’s decades of work helped define the sound of modern Texas country music, both through his own steel guitar playing and through the countless artists he helped shape as a producer and engineer at Cherry Ridge Studio. His influence is expected to be felt in country and Americana music for years to come.
Have memories of Tommy Detamore or his music to share? Drop a comment below, and check back for updates on service details and tributes as they are announced.