Buddy Guy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buddy Guy
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Guy performing in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | George Guy |
| Born | July 30, 1936 Lettsworth, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1953–present |
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George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is famous for his unique Chicago blues style. Buddy Guy has inspired many famous guitarists. These include Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In the 1960s, Guy played with Muddy Waters and also teamed up with Junior Wells.
Buddy Guy has won eight Grammy Awards. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Other honors include the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him among the greatest guitarists ever. Eric Clapton once called him "the best guitar player alive." Guy has also written two books about his life and music.
Contents
Early Life and First Guitars
George "Buddy" Guy grew up in Lettsworth, Louisiana. He was the oldest of five children. His parents were sharecroppers, meaning they farmed land for a share of the crops. As a child, Buddy picked cotton to earn money. His brother, Phil Guy, also became a blues musician.
Buddy started playing guitar on a simple two-string instrument he made. It was called a diddley bow. Later, he received a Harmony acoustic guitar. Years later, this special guitar was given to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Starting His Music Career
In the mid-1950s, Buddy Guy began playing with bands in Baton Rouge. He worked as a cleaner at Louisiana State University. In 1957, he made some demo recordings. Soon after, on September 25, 1957, he moved to Chicago. There, he was greatly influenced by the legendary blues musician Muddy Waters.
In 1958, Buddy Guy won a guitar competition. This led to his first record deal with Cobra Records. He later signed with Chess Records.
Challenges at Chess Records
Buddy Guy's early career faced challenges at Chess Records. The label did not want to record his exciting live style. Leonard Chess, the founder, even called Guy's playing "just making noise." Chess Records tried to make Guy record different types of music. These included R&B ballads and jazz songs. But none of these were released as singles.
Guy's only album with Chess, Left My Blues in San Francisco, came out in 1967. Most of the time, Chess used Guy as a session musician. This meant he played guitar for other famous blues artists. He played for Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and Koko Taylor. Even in 1967, Guy worked as a tow truck driver at night. He played music in clubs after his day job.
Later Career and Comeback
While with Chess, Guy also recorded with Junior Wells. These recordings were for another label, Delmark Records. In 1965, he toured Europe as part of the American Folk Blues Festival.
Buddy Guy's career saw a big comeback in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This happened when Eric Clapton asked him to play at a special concert in London. After this, Guy signed with Silvertone Records. .....
In 2009, Guy had a small part in the movie In the Electric Mist. He played a character named Sam "Hogman" Patin.
Buddy Guy stopped touring regularly in early 2024. ..... However, he still performs at his club in Chicago, Buddy Guy's Legends. He often gets on stage to sing and play. In June 2024, he was a main performer at the Chicago Blues Festival.
Buddy Guy's Unique Style
His Music
Buddy Guy's music is often called Chicago blues. But his style is truly one of a kind. His performances can range from traditional blues to a mix of blues, rock, soul, and jazz. He often changes his style during each show.
A music critic once wrote that Guy "mingles anarchy, virtuosity, deep blues and hammy shtick." This means he combines wild energy, amazing skill, deep blues feelings, and fun showmanship. He loves sudden changes, like going from loud to soft music. He is a master at building and releasing tension in his songs.
His Guitars
Buddy Guy has played many guitars. But he is most known for his custom Fender guitars. These guitars have a special polka-dot design. In 2022, Guy explained why he chose this pattern. It was a tribute to his mother. He had told her he would buy a polka-dot Cadillac when he left home. He wanted something to remind him of that promise.
The original polka-dot guitar was based on Eric Clapton's guitar. Now, Fender sells its own line of Buddy Guy Signature models. The polka-dot design also appears on many of his album covers. In recent years, he has even worn shirts with the same design on stage.
Awards and Influence
Buddy Guy has received many awards and honors. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Eric Clapton praised his unique playing. Clapton remembered seeing Guy play guitar with his teeth and over his head. These tricks later inspired Jimi Hendrix.
Jeff Beck once played with Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He called it "the most incredible stuff I ever heard." Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman said Buddy Guy is one of the best guitar legends. He said Guy can make the guitar "talk and cry the blues."
On February 21, 2012, Buddy Guy performed at the White House. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were there. During the show, Guy got President Obama to sing a few lines of "Sweet Home Chicago."
Major Awards
On September 20, 1996, Guy was honored at Guitar Center's Hollywood Rockwalk.
He has won eight Grammy Awards for his blues music. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2003, he received the National Medal of Arts. This award is given by the President for great contributions to the arts.
By 2004, Guy had won 23 W.C. Handy Awards. He was also named the Greatest Living Electric Blues Guitarist.
Buddy Guy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2005. His acceptance speech was short and memorable: "If you don't think you've got the blues, just keep living."
In 2008, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
On December 2, 2012, Guy received the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors. He was called a "titan of the blues" and a huge influence on guitarists.
In 2015, he received another Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His album Born to Play Guitar won a Grammy in 2016 for Best Blues Album.
December 8, 2018, was named "Buddy Guy Day" in Louisiana and Mississippi. A road in Lettsworth was named "Buddy Guy Way." In 2019, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
Personal Life
Buddy Guy married Joan Guy in 1959. They had six children together. His son, Greg Guy, also plays blues guitar. He later married Jennifer Guy, and they had two children. Their daughter, Rashawnna Guy, is a rapper known as Shawnna.
As of 2014, Buddy Guy lived in Orland Park, Illinois. He is an early riser, which he says comes from growing up on a farm. He enjoys a shot of cognac at every show.
More Music
Albums by Buddy Guy
- Left My Blues in San Francisco (1967)
- A Man and the Blues (1968)
- Hold That Plane! (1972)
- The Blues Giant / Stone Crazy! (1979)
- Breaking Out (1980)
- DJ Play My Blues (1982)
- Feels Like Rain (1993)
- Slippin' In (1994)
- Heavy Love (1998)
- Sweet Tea (2001)
- Blues Singer (2003)
- Bring 'Em In (2005)
- Skin Deep (2008)
- Living Proof (2010)
- Rhythm & Blues (2013)
- Born to Play Guitar (2015)
- The Blues Is Alive and Well (2018)
- The Blues Don't Lie (2022)
Albums with Junior Wells
- Hoodoo Man Blues (1965)
- Chicago / The Blues / Today!, Vol. 1 (1966)
- It's My Life, Baby! (1966)
- Coming at You (1968)
- Buddy and the Juniors (1970)
- Southside Blues Jam (1970)
- Play the Blues (1972)
- Pleading the Blues (1979)
- Going Back (1981)
- Alone & Acoustic (1991)
- Better Off with the Blues (1993)
Albums with Phil Guy
- Buddy & Phil (1981)
- The Red Hot Blues of Phil Guy (1982)
- Bad Luck Boy (1983)
- All Star Chicago Blues Session (1994)
- He's My Blues Brother (2006)
Albums with Memphis Slim
- Southside Reunion (1971)
See Also
- Buddy Guy's Legends
- Checkerboard Lounge
- Chicago Blues Festival
- Montreux Jazz Festival
