Buddy Guy Biography
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an
American blues and rock guitarist and singer. Known as an
inspiration to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and other 1960s
blues and rock legends, Guy is considered an important exponent
of Chicago blues. He is the father of female rapper Shawnna.
Guy is known for his showmanship; for example, he plays
his guitar with drumsticks, or strolls into the audience
while jamming and trailing a long guitar cord.
Born in Lettsworth, Louisiana, Guy grew up in Louisiana
learning guitar on a two string diddley bow he made. Later
he was given a Harmony acoustic guitar, which he donated
to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the early '50s he
began performing with bands in Baton Rouge. Soon after moving
to Chicago in 1957, Guy fell under the influence of Muddy
Waters. In 1958, a competition with West Side guitarists
Magic Sam and Otis Rush gave Guy a record contract. Soon
afterwards he recorded for the Cobra label. He recorded
sessions with Junior Wells for Delmark Records under the
pseudonym Friendly Chap in 1965 and 1966.
Guy’s early career was supposedly held back by both
conservative business choices made by his record company
(Chess Records)and “the scorn, diminishments and petty
subterfuge from a few jealous rivals.” Chess, Guy’s
record label from 1959 to 1968, refused to record Buddy
Guy’s novel style that was similar to his live shows.
Leonard Chess (Chess founder and 1987 Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame inductee) denounced Guy’s playing as “motherfucking
noise”. In the early 1960s, Chess tried recording
Guy as a solo artist with R&B ballads, jazz instrumentals,
soul and novelty dance tunes, but none were released as
singles. Guy’s only Chess album, “Left My Blues
in San Francisco,” was finally issued in 1967. Most
of the songs belong stylistically to the era's soul boom,
with orchestrations by Gene Barge and Charlie Stepney. Chess
used Guy mainly as a session guitarist to back Muddy Waters,
Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Koko
Taylor and others. Image: Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and
a young Buddy Guy.
Guy's reputation spread to Great Britain with the American
Folk Blues Festival in the 1960s, where young rockers like
Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and the Rolling Stones were seeking
out the roots of American blues. His first trip to the UK
was in February 1965, during which Rod Stewart acted as
his valet and Guy shared a bill with the Yardbirds. Guy’s
tour exposed his music to a whole new generation of British
musicians eager to soak it up. He was surprised to see how
influential his music had become to English guitarists.
Guy later recalled:
Of course, I had a lot more energy than I have now—I
was playing the guitar with my feet and throwing it up in
the air—crazy stuff! But although I was getting to
play overseas, back home I still didn't have a record. I
thought that maybe it was because I played too loud and
with too much feedback, then the next thing I know, Clapton
and Hendrix are out there using the same tricks and selling
millions of albums.
Guy reportedly grew increasingly frustrated with the unwillingness
of Leonard Chess to let him cut loose with the loud, rock-influenced
licks that regularly wowed live audiences. Guy left Chess
Records in 1968, recounting:
When I got ready to go to Vanguard, that’s when Chess
came to me and found out that Eric and his Cream and the
Stones and Beck was hollering. Leonard came and told us,
"Jesus, that’s the shit you’ve been trying
to sell me for the last 12 years, and now it’s sellin'
like hotcakes!" He bent over and said, "Kick me!"
Donald Wilcox noted in his biography of Guy:
Leonard Chess would eventually realize his mistake in not
recognizing Buddy's appeal in the clubs, or that much of
the appeal of the British rock bands was based on the kind
of 'noise' that Buddy was producing live...Still, Chess
had not yet released a single album by Buddy Guy. What saved
Buddy at Chess was his versatility.
Ironically, Chess later released far more Buddy Guy albums
(including compilations of unreleased sessions) after the
artist left the label.
Buddy Guy was a leading star at the 1969 Supershow at Linoleum
Factory, Staines, England that also included Clapton, Led
Zeppelin, Jack Bruce, Stephen Stills, Buddy Miles, Glen
Campbell, Roland Kirk, and Jon Hiseman. Image: 1969 Supershow.
By the late 1960s, Guy's career was in decline. The heavy
blues-rock scene he had helped inspire was flourishing without
him. For the next two decades, Buddy Guy had to endure the
neglect many blues and rock artists faced in their careers:
As visionaries and pathfinders they are overlooked while
their followers received the fame, recognition and fortune.
Guy's career finally took off during the blues revival period
of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was sparked by Clapton's
request that Guy be part of the '24 Nights' all-star blues
guitar lineup at London's Royal Albert Hall and Guy's subsequent
signing with Silvertone Records.
Discography
* 1965 Hoodoo Man Blues – Delmark (w/ Junior Wells
band)
* 1966 Chicago/The Blues/Today! vol. 1 – Vanguard
(w/ Junior Wells band)
* 1967 I Left My Blues in San Francisco – Chess
* 1968 A Man and the Blues – Vanguard
* 1968This Is Buddy Guy (live) – Vanguard
* 1970 Buddy and the Juniors – MCA (w/ Junior Mance
& Junior Wells)
* 1972 Play The Blues - Rhino
* 1974 I Was Walking Through the Woods – Chess (rec.
1960–64)
* 1977 Live at Montreaux – Evidence (w/ Junior Wells)
* 1981 Stone Crazy – Alligator
* 1982 Drinkin' TNT 'n' Smokin' Dynamite (live) –
Blind Pig (rec. 1974 Montreax Jazz Fest.)
* 1983 Buddy Guy – Chess
* 1991 Alone & Acoustic – Alligator (rec. 1981
w/ Junior Wells)
* 1991 Damn Right, I've Got the Blues – Silvertone/BMG
* 1991 Buddy's Baddest: The Best of Buddy Guy – Silvertone
* 1992 The Very Best of Buddy Guy – Rhino/WEA
* 1992 The Complete Chess Studio Recordings – Chess
(2 CD, 1960–67)
* 1993 Feels Like Rain – Silvertone
* 1994 Slippin' In – Silvertone
* 1996 Live: The Real Deal – Silvertone
* 1997 Buddy's Blues – Chess "Chess Masters"
* 1998 As Good As It Gets – Vanguard
* 1998 Heavy Love – Silvertone
* 1998 Last Time Around - Live at Legends – Jive
* 2001 Sweet Tea – Silvertone
* 2003 Blues Singer – Silvertone
* 2003 Chicago Blues Festival 1964 (live) – Stardust
* 2005 Bring 'Em In (Buddy Guy album) – Jive
* 2006 Can't Quit The Blues:Box Set – Silvertone/Legacy
Recordings
Buddy Guy
When it comes to the electric blues, one name comes to mind:
Buddy Guy. All it takes is just one note of Buddy Guy’s
soulful music and you’ll be hooked and begging for
more of his electrifying performance. This legendary musician
has moved audiences around the globe for more than 45 years
with his passionate voice and extraordinary electric blues
talent.
Buddy Guy has released numerous albums including his most
famous ones, Blues Singer and Sweet Tea. Blues Singer showcases
some of Guy’s most memorable beats and lyrics and
features songs performed with legendary friends, B.B. King
and Eric Clapton. Sweet Tea was released in 2001 and introduced
a fresh new sound. Guy stripped away the horns, keyboard,
and guest vocalists for a more clean sound. This album became
one of the
most critically acclaimed albums of his career.
Buddy Guy Polka Dot Strat Joins Fender's Signature
Line
July 20, 2002
The new Buddy Guy Polka Dot Stratocaster guitar is the latest
signature model from Fender. It is available for a limited
time only, and is produced at Fender's manufacturing facility
in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
For more information, visit their web site at www.fender.com.
