A Chicago bluesman from Louisiana, Buddy Guy was a young protege of Muddy Waters during the South Side blues heyday of the 1950s, and has carried the torch for the blues ever since, through his collaborations with Junior Wells and his coronation as blues royalty by no less than Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Born in Louisiana in 1936, Buddy Guy was inspired by hearing John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillen" on the radio and tookup the guitar at age 13. Influenced by the recordings of T-Bone Walker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Guitar Slim and Muddy Waters, he developed his own aggressive style and began playing with Gulf Coast bluesmen like Slim Harpo and LightninÕ Slim, and in 1957 cut his first demo and sent it to Chess Records in Chicago. He went to Chicago to find that the tape never made it; Muddy Waters found him dejected outside a club on the South Side, fed him a sandwich and told him not to give up so easily. With MuddyÕs encouragement, Buddy found work and a band gig. He won a "Battle of the Blues" contest, beating out Magic Sam, Otis Rush and Earl Hooker, and Magic Sam took Guy to Cobra records where he cut some Willie-Dixon-produced records with Otis Rush and Ike Turner in 1958 and 1959.

In 1960 Otis Rush went to Chess and brought Buddy with him, and Buddy remained as the house guitarist until 1967, backing luminaries such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and Robert Nighthawk. He cut a series of his own singles, including "First Time I Met the Blues," "I Got My Eyes on You," "Let Me Love You Baby," "Stone Crazy," and "When My Left Eye Jumps," which have gone on to become modern classics.

While at Chess, Guy began recording with harp ace Junior Wells. Their debut album, Hoodoo Man Blues (Delmark,1965), was a landmark that crossed over to the white college crowd and had a significant role in the Sixties blues revival. Wells and GuyÕs musical relationship lasted through the end of the Sixties and renewed itself sporadically in the following decades.

In 1967, Vanguard Records released his first solo album, A Man and the Blues, to critical acclaim, followed by This Is Buddy Guy and Hold That Plane. It appeared that he was primed for stardom, but despite his charisma, a stage show that had him compared to Hendrix, and an all-star album produced by Clapton, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Play the Blues, it was not to be. A series of fine but unknown albums followed, but it wasnÕt until Stevie Ray Vaughan touted him as a major influence (followed by testimonials by the likes of Eric Clapton), that he came into his own, releasing the Grammy-winning Damn Right IÕve Got the Blues on Silvertone in 1991.

Since then heÕs released a steady stream of hit recordings. Lauded in the media and lionized by musicians, Buddy Guy has, like Stevie Ray, inspired a whole new generation of guitar slingers. When not out on the road, he can generally be found performing or relaxing at his nightclub in Chicago.

In 2004, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Buddy Guy's induction for 2005.

Dave Rubin, edited from:

Fender Players Club
(www.fenderplayersclub.com)