 |
His renaissance began in 1990, after nearly ten long years without a record contract, when Eric Clapton invited him to England.
"Eric invited me to the Royal Albert Hall to play this big concert with him," says Guy, over the phone from a hotel room in New Hampshire. "They told me I stole the show, which I didn't think about because Eric and I are the best of friends. But it made the record companies realize that maybe I could play something."
Following the release of 24 Nights -- a live recording of that concert series -- Guy signed to Silvertone Records and put out the aptly-titled Damn Right I've Got the Blues.
Not only did that album earn Guy his first Grammy, his next two releases got Grammys too and the three records are approaching a combined 2 million in sales.
"I'm still trying to figure out how to describe that," he says, obviously moved. "But I can tell you one thing. Each one I received, I received in honour of the people that should have got it before me, like T-bone Walker, Lightning Hopkins and all those people. The shoes those guys wore never will be filled."
Of course, it's unlikely that Guy's shoes will be filled anytime soon either. He is widely acknowledged as the greatest living electric blues guitarist and in 1993, Billboard magazine gave him their Century Award "to acknowledge the uncommon excellence of a still-unfolding body of work."
The 62-year-old Guy will be performing with Wes Cunningham at the Congress Centre tonight.
Guy's latest releases continue to win him increasing acclaim and an expanding fanbase. His 1996 tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of his prized pupils, earned Guy yet another Grammy and his summer studio release, Heavy Love, went to number three on the charts.
But 1990 was also notable for Guy because he opened up a blues club called Legends in Chicago -- his adopted hometown since '57.
"I grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and my mother had a stroke. They told me I could get a job in Chicago and get paid more and I could play my guitar at night," explains Guy. "And I wanted to help my family. I was single and my mom and dad don't have an education -- neither do I, but at least I made it one year in high school -- but I knew they was going to need help so I was just trying the best I can."
One of the first people the 21-year-old met was fellow youngster Junior Wells. The two blues prodigies -- who hung around the 708 club with legends such as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Sonnyboy Williamson -- became close friends, toured and recorded together and even lived next door to each other through the '70s.
"Junior would be coming (home) in the morning and I'd have a cup of coffee and a paper and he'd look at me and say 'You a crazy sonofabitch'," laughs Guy about his early rising tendencies so unusual for a bluesman.
Silvertone has just released Last Time around-Live at Legends, a live recording of Wells' and Guy's historic final performance in '93.
But Guy played no role in its release. In fact, he was so upset about the deaths of many of his blues contemporaries over the past year -- which includes Wells, Jimmie Rodgers and Luther Allison -- that he had forgotten that the acoustic recording still existed.
"I haven't really listened to it yet," admits Guy. "You know the 15th of next month, it'll be one year ago (Wells) passed away.
"I do a song of his every night to let people know he was the one I worked with the longest. But every time I hear something on him, I'm still into that thing, I'm the same way with Stevie, it still hurts a little bit."
But Guy is used to feeling blue and has rededicated himself to carrying the torch of the elder bluesmen.
He continues to tour clubs and festivals, plays the entire month of January at Legends and is preparing to head back into the studio.
"I want to co-produce a record myself and then go and cut loose with nothing but Buddy Guy. I think I could make another good record."