Happy 90th birthday to legendary Bluesman, Buddy Guy. Born on this date in 1936 in Lettsworth Louisiana. He moved to Chicago in 1957 and soon found himself recording at Chicago’s famous Blues label, Chess Records. He recorded with Blues legends like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf and Little Walter. He was also playing Blues clubs all around Chicago where him and other Bluesmen would have “head cutting” competitions. They’d play to see who got the best reaction from the audience. He went up against greats like Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Freddy King.
Some of world’s most famous guitar players idolized Buddy Guy and his style of play. Specifically guys like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Buddy Guy was inducted into the Rock HOF in 2005.
His first hit recording from 1958
Rolling Stone magazine ranked this #78 on their top 100 list of greatest guitar songs of all time.
During the 70s and 80s Blues fell out of fashion. But in the 90s it made a bit of a resurgence. And Buddy released a great album in 1991, “Damn Right I Got The Blues”. Here’s the title track.
He then tried his hand at grunge blues. Pretty successfully, if’n you ask me…
I’ve seen him live on 3 separate occasions and each time he blew my mind with his mastery of the instrument and his showmanship. If there’s one living person I’d most like to meet and to share a beer and listen to their stories, it’s Mr Buddy Guy.
