George ‘Buddy’ Guy was a guitar hero and an inspiration to blues and rock guitarists alike long before he finally achieved success in the pop market with his 1991 album ‘Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues.’ Known for his supercharged and unpredictable live performances, Guy had seen only one of his previous records hit the charts, and that was a 45 (‘Stone Crazy’) for the R&B market in 1962. Guy, born in Lettsworth, Louisiana, on July 30, 1936, cut his teeth on the Baton Rouge area blues scene and came up under the influence of B.B. King and the flamboyant Guitar Slim. He created a sensation soon after he arrived in Chicago in 1957. Guy recorded under the direction of Willie Dixon for Artistic and Chess and began to cross over to blues-rock audiences in the late 1960s, often teaming with longtime cohort Junior Wells. His reputation as both a singer and guitarist was assured among aficionados and musicians, but it seemed as though he might never break through to a more lucrative level. Guy’s stature in rock circles, enhanced by his ability to parlay his relationships with rock guitar icons to his benefit, set the stage for his major-label breakthrough. Perhaps not so coincidentally, it came on the heels of the death of one of his big admirers, Stevie Ray Vaughan. A new wave of blues-rock guitar fans turned to Guy, who further cemented the link by touring and recording with Vaughan’s band, Double Trouble. In Chicago, Guy maintained a strong presence on the club scene, first with his association with the Checkerboard Lounge and then with his own venue, Buddy Guy’s Legends, now rated as one of the country’s top blues clubs.
— Jim O’Neal
www.stackhouse-bluesoterica.blogspot.com