Roy Buchanan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roy Buchanan
Buchanan performing at the Pinecrest Country Club, Shelton, Connecticut, 1978
Background information
Birth name	Leroy Buchanan
Born	(1939-09-23)September 23, 1939 Ozark, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	August 14, 1988(1988-08-14) (aged 48) Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Blues, blues rock, electric blues, rock and roll, rockabilly, country, jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1955–1988
Labels	Polydor, Atlantic, Alligator
Burial place	Columbia Gardens Cemetery Arlington, Virginia, U.S.

Leroy "Roy" Buchanan (September 23, 1939 – August 14, 1988) was an American guitar player and blues musician. He was known for his unique guitar sound, especially with the Telecaster guitar. Roy worked as a musician for other artists and also as a solo artist. He released two albums that sold very well, earning "gold" status. Even though he wasn't a huge superstar, many people consider him a very important and influential guitar player. Guitar Player magazine said he had one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time." He also appeared on the TV show Austin City Limits in 1977.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Roy Buchanan was born in Ozark, Arkansas, in 1939. He grew up there and in Pixley, California. His father worked on farms. Roy often said his father was a preacher who played the fiddle, but his brother said this wasn't true. Roy remembered his first musical experiences were at church meetings with his mother. He said this is how he first learned about "black music," which influenced his style.

Roy started playing the steel guitar but switched to a regular guitar in the early 1950s. He began his professional music career at age 15. In 1958, when he was 19, he made his first recording with Chess Records in Chicago. He played a guitar solo on the song "My Babe" with Dale Hawkins.

A few years later, in 1960, Roy went on tour with Dale Hawkins in Toronto. He decided to leave Dale's band to play for Dale's cousin, Ronnie Hawkins. Roy even helped teach Ronnie's guitar player, Robbie Robertson. Roy played bass guitar on Ronnie Hawkins' song "Who Do You Love?" Soon after, Roy went back to the United States. Some members of Ronnie Hawkins' band later became famous as the group the Band.

In the early 1960s, Roy often played guitar for other rock bands. He recorded music with artists like Freddy Cannon and Merle Kilgore. By the end of the 1960s, Roy had a family growing, so he took a break from music. He trained to become a barber to support his family.

Becoming a Recording Artist

In 1961, Roy released his first song called "Mule Train Stomp." It showed off his rich guitar sounds. In 1962, he recorded "Potato Peeler" with drummer Bobby Gregg. This song was the first to feature Roy's special "pinch" harmonic sound.

In the mid-1960s, Roy settled in the Washington, D.C., area. He played for Danny Denver's band for many years. He became known as one of the best rock guitarists around. There was a story that Jimi Hendrix wouldn't compete in a guitar challenge with Roy. The truth is that in 1968, Roy saw Jimi Hendrix play and was amazed. Roy realized that some of the sounds he made with his hands and guitar, like the wah-wah effect, Hendrix made with electronic pedals. This made Roy focus even more on his own unique American guitar style.

Roy was very impressed by Hendrix's 1967 album Are You Experienced? He later played his own versions of Hendrix's songs "If 6 Was 9" and "Hey Joe". In the early 1970s, Roy was very popular playing solo in the D.C. area.

Roy's life changed in 1971 when a TV show on PBS featured him. The show was called Introducing Roy Buchanan. This led to a record deal with Polydor Records. Famous musicians like John Lennon and Merle Haggard praised him. There was even a rumor that he was asked to join the Rolling Stones, but he said no. This earned him the nickname "the man who turned the Stones down." He might have said no because he felt his own music career was going in a good direction, and he couldn't follow it as well if he joined the Stones.

In 1977, he appeared on the TV show Austin City Limits. Roy recorded five albums for Polydor. One of them, Second Album, sold enough copies to go "gold." After that, he recorded three more albums for Atlantic Records. One of these, Loading Zone (1977), also went "gold."

Roy stopped recording in 1981. He said he wouldn't go into a studio again unless he could record his music exactly how he wanted. Four years later, Alligator Records convinced him to record again. His first album for Alligator, When a Guitar Plays the Blues, came out in 1985. On this album, he had complete artistic freedom. His second Alligator album, Dancing on the Edge, was released in 1986. It featured vocals by Delbert McClinton on three songs. Roy released his twelfth and final album, Hot Wires, in 1987. Roy Buchanan's last public performance was on August 7, 1988, in Guilford, Connecticut. Roy Buchanan passed away on August 14, 1988. He is buried at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

After his passing, many of his recordings were released, including an album called The Prophet in 2004, which had never been released before.

Roy's Guitars and Gear

Roy Buchanan used different guitars during his career. However, he was most famous for playing a 1953 Fender Telecaster guitar, which he called "Nancy." This guitar had some changes, like bigger frets, but it mostly stayed original. There are two different stories about how Roy got "Nancy." He said that in 1969, he saw a guy with the guitar and traded him a purple Telecaster for it. Another friend said Roy traded a Gibson Les Paul guitar for the 1953 Telecaster.

Roy also owned a 1952 Fender Telecaster that later belonged to Wishbone Ash guitarist Andy Powell. One of Roy's Telecasters was later owned by other famous guitarists, Danny Gatton and Mike Stern. For a while, Roy used a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue. In 1979, he started using a 1975 sunburst Fender Stratocaster for a few years. When he was very young, he also played a Gibson L-5 CES guitar.

Roy usually played his Telecaster through a Fender Vibrolux amplifier. He would turn the volume and tone knobs on the amp all the way up. Then, he used the volume and tone controls on his guitar to change his sound. He could even create a wah wah effect just by using his guitar's tone control! To get a distorted sound, Roy once used a razor blade to cut the paper cones of his amp's speakers. Other guitarists, like Dave Davies from The Kinks, also used this trick. Roy didn't use many effects pedals. He started using an Echoplex (a type of delay effect) on his 1976 album A Street Called Straight. Later in his career, he used a Boss DD-2 delay pedal.

How Roy Made His Sound

Roy Buchanan taught himself many special ways to play the guitar. One technique he used was called "chicken picking." Sometimes, he used his thumb nail instead of a plectrum (guitar pick). He would also use his thumb to help his index finger and pick.

Roy had a famous technique called a "pinch harmonic" or "overtone." He would hold the pick between his thumb and pointer finger. Then, he would pluck a string and lightly touch it with the lower edge of his thumb at a specific spot. This made a high, ringing sound by emphasizing certain harmonics. Roy could make these harmonic sounds whenever he wanted. He could also mute (silence) some strings with his right-hand fingers while picking others. He was also known for his "oblique bends," which are a special way of bending guitar strings. These techniques were especially noticeable when he played double and triple stops (playing two or three notes at the same time).

Roy Buchanan's Lasting Influence

Roy Buchanan has inspired many guitarists. Some famous musicians he influenced include Robbie Robertson, Gary Moore, Danny Gatton, Arlen Roth, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Jerry Garcia, Mick Ronson, Nils Lofgren, Jim Campilongo, and Steve Kimock. Jeff Beck even dedicated his song "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" to Roy.

People say that Roy's music "stretched the limits of the electric guitar." He is praised for his amazing guitar tone and his wide knowledge of music. He could play everything from deep blues to soulful R&B and clear, powerful rock 'n' roll.

In 2004, Guitar Player magazine said Roy's version of "Sweet Dreams" (from his first album, Roy Buchanan) had one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time." In the same year, readers of Guitar Player voted Roy as the #46 best guitarist in a poll.

Roy's Albums

Studio albums

• Buch and the Snakestretchers, 1971
• Roy Buchanan, August 1972
• Second Album, March 1973
• That's What I Am Here For, November 1973
• In the Beginning (UK title: Rescue Me), December 1974
• A Street Called Straight, April 1976
• Loading Zone, May 1977
• You're Not Alone, April 1978
• My Babe, November 1980
• When a Guitar Plays the Blues, July 1985
• Dancing on the Edge, June 1986
• Hot Wires, September 1987

Live albums

• Live Stock, (recorded 1974) August 1975
• Live in Japan, (recorded 1977) 1978
• Live: Charly Blues Legend, Vol. 9, 1987
• Live in U.S.A. & Holland, (recorded 1977–85) 1991
• Charly Blues Masterworks: Roy Buchanan Live, 1999
• American Axe: Live in 1974, 2003
• Live: Amazing Grace, (recorded 1974–83) 2009
• Live at Rockpalast, (recorded 1985) 2011
• Live from Austin, TX (recorded 1976) 2012
• Shredding the Blues: Live at My Father's Place, (recorded 1978 & 1984) 2014
• Telemaster: Live in '75, 2017
• Live at Town Hall 1974, 2018

Compilation albums

• The Best of Roy Buchanan, 1982
• The Early Years, 1989
• Sweet Dreams: The Anthology, 1992
• Guitar on Fire: The Atlantic Sessions, 1993
• Malaguena, 1996
• Before And After: The Last Recordings, 1999
• Deluxe Edition: Roy Buchanan, 2001
• 20th Century Masters–The Millennium Collection: The Best of Roy Buchanan, 2002
• The Prophet: The Unreleased First Polydor Album, 2004
• The Definitive Collection, 2006
• Rhino Hi-Five: Roy Buchanan, 2007
• After Hours: The Early Years, 1957–1962 Recordings, 2016

Images for kids

• 

  Roy Buchanan's grave in Columbia Gardens Cemetery

See also

In Spanish: Roy Buchanan para niños