INSIDE THE BLUES
1942-1982

40 years of blues history with techniques of the greatest blues guitarists of all time, including T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and many more. Includes instruction and musical examples!

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Inventory #HL 696558
Book $24.95 (US)

Buddy Guy

A Chicago bluesman from Louisiana, Buddy Guy was a young protegé 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.

"Boogie Chillen" by John Lee Hooker was the song that set him off as a young teen. In the 1950s he played Baton Rouge with Slim Harpo and Lightnin’ Slim, and set off for Chicago with hopes of making it big. Muddy Waters took him under his wing, and by 1958 he was working with Willie Dixon, Magic Sam, Otis Rush and Ike Turner. In 1960 he went to Chess Records with Rush, becoming the house guitarist and working with Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and other luminaries; he also cut his own singles, such as "Let Me Love You Baby" and "Stone Crazy."

He also began recording with harp ace Junior Wells, and their 1965 debut Hoodoo Man Blues (Delmark) became a crossover favorite in the late ‘60s blues revival. He recorded several solo albums and was emulated by Hendrix himself, but it wasn’t until the 1980s, with testimonials from Vaughan and Clapton, that Guy’s career really took off. He won Grammys with his Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues (1991, Silvertone) and in 2004 with the acoustic Blues Singer (Silvertone), and has continued releasing well-received albums and touring all over the world. 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.

Read Buddy Guy's full biography:

BEST OF BLUES GUITAR
Guitar Signature Licks

Learn the trademark licks of the blues masters with this book/CD pack. Features lessons on 12 classics:

(They Call It) Stormy Monday (T-Bone Walker), All Your Love (I Miss Loving) (Otis Rush), Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker), Born Under A Bad Sign (Albert King), Catfish Blues (Skip James), Collins Mix (Albert Collins), Cross Road Blues (Eric Clapton), I Smell A Rat (Buddy Guy), I'm Tore Down (Freddie King), It Hurts Me Too (Elmore James), Pride And Joy (Stevie Ray Vaughan), The Thrill Is Gone (B.B. King)

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Inventory #695846
Book/CD pack $19.95 (US).

Like Buddy’s love for the blues, his penchant for Fender gear has never waned. For his amps, he goes for his old favorite, the tweed Bassman 4X10. He still has his original one from the ‘50s, which, unlike his guitars, was never stolen.

"Didn’t nobody steal it. I guess it was too heavy to run with!" he said. "A guitar you can snatch and run, but you can’t run too fast with an amp. So, I’ve still got the original, but right now I use two re-issue ’59 Bassmans, and my Buddy Guy Signature Strat. That’s about it. Sometimes I use a wah-wah pedal, and I’ve got an octave thing on this new album [Slippin’ In, 1994]."

In 2001, Fender released the Cyber-Twin amp, and Buddy immediately took to it:

"The Cyber-Twin sounds like my entire amp collection! How ‘bout naming a patch after me?"

Fender’s artist relations guy, Billy Siegle, received a phone call from Buddy Guy's guitar tech, Mark Messner, regarding the Cyber-Twin... Seems he had unboxed one onstage before one of Buddy’s soundchecks. Mark had some time to line up a couple of patches for Buddy's use. #1 he named "Buddy's ‘59 Bassman®" and #2 was named "John Lee Hooker" and was based on the ‘49 Champ tone.

Buddy walked in, took one look at the Cyber-Twin (which sat in front of his existing rig, comprising a Victoria, Gibson Gold Tone, and Bogner XTC amps), chuckled and said "With an amp that has this much stuff, let's see what it can do." Mark plugged him in, dialed up the "Buddy's 59 Bassman®" patch and let him loose... Buddy's response was, "That's my tone!" Mark then switched the Cyber-Twin to the "John Lee Hooker" patch and again, Buddy played for a few minutes and said "That's the John Lee Hooker tone!"

The amp stayed on stage for that show, along with his regular rig. The plan was that Buddy was going to use the Cyber-Twin for one or two songs and then switch back to his normal rig. But things didn't go as planned. Buddy played the Cyber-Twin the entire show and his comment to Mark afterwards was "That thing has tone!"

In addition to his signature Strat (some of which are finished with his trademark black with white polka dots), Buddy has also played a red Gibson ES-335.