# Buddy Guy > Buddy Guy: Chicago blues' wildest showman and its last great living link. The 10 greatest solos, the gear behind the sound and a quiz. Canonical URL: Chicago blues' wildest showman and its last great living link 1953–present · Buddy Guy & Junior Wells · American ## Buddy Guy Chicago blues' wildest showman and its last great living link George Buddy Guy was born in 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana, the son of sharecroppers. He made his first instrument from wire and scraps before getting a real guitar, and he learned by copying the records of Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker and especially Guitar Slim, whose flamboyant showmanship made a lasting impression. After playing around Baton Rouge in the early 1950s, he moved to Chicago in September 1957 with little more than a guitar and a determination to meet his hero, Muddy Waters. In Chicago he quickly impressed audiences, and after winning a guitar contest against Magic Sam and Otis Rush he got his first record deal. From 1959 he recorded for Chess, where he cut singles such as First Time I Met the Blues and Stone Crazy and worked as a house session guitarist behind Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter and others. Leonard Chess reportedly considered his wild, distorted style just noise, and Guy spent much of the 1960s underrated on record even as British rock players studied him closely. In the 1960s and 1970s he recorded for Vanguard, releasing A Man and the Blues, and built a long partnership with harmonica great Junior Wells, including his playing on Wells's classic Hoodoo Man Blues. He toured Europe, opened for the Rolling Stones and ran the Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago. The 1980s were lean in the United States, but in 1991 Damn Right, I've Got the Blues, with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Mark Knopfler guesting, brought a spectacular comeback and the first of many Grammy wins. He opened his club, Buddy Guy's Legends, in Chicago and kept recording at a steady clip into his eighties, winning Grammys for albums including Born to Play Guitar (2015). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. In 2024 he wrapped up his Damn Right Farewell Tour, and in 2025 he appeared in Ryan Coogler's film Sinners and released Ain't Done with the Blues, which won a Grammy in 2026. ## The 10 greatest Buddy Guy solos 1. [Damn Right, I've Got the Blues](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-damn-right-i-ve-got-the-blues/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1991 2. [Stone Crazy](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-stone-crazy/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1962 3. [First Time I Met the Blues](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-first-time-i-met-the-blues/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1960 4. [Mary Had a Little Lamb](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-mary-had-a-little-lamb/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1968 5. [Let Me Love You Baby](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-let-me-love-you-baby/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1961 6. [Five Long Years](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-five-long-years/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1991 7. [Hoodoo Man Blues](https://greatestsolos.com/song/junior-wells-chicago-blues-band-hoodoo-man-blues/) — Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band · solo by Buddy Guy · 1965 8. [Feels Like Rain](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-feels-like-rain/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1993 9. [Leave My Girl Alone](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-leave-my-girl-alone/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1967 10. [Skin Deep](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-skin-deep/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 2008 ## The sound Buddy Guy plays with explosive unpredictability, jumping from a whisper to a scream in a single phrase. He attacks the strings hard, uses sudden bursts of fast notes, jagged bends and piercing, overdriven tone, and loves to leave silence before crashing back in. His early Chess recordings pushed volume and distortion further than most blues players dared. On stage he is a showman, playing with his teeth, behind his head or out in the crowd, yet beneath the theatrics lies deep Chicago blues phrasing learned from Muddy Waters and Guitar Slim. - **Fender Polka Dot Stratocaster** (guitar) His signature look, a playful tribute to his mother and a story about a polka-dot Cadillac. - **Fender Buddy Guy Signature Stratocaster** (guitar) Fender's signature model, based originally on a late-1980s Custom Shop Strat. - **1950s Fender Stratocaster** (guitar) The type of Strat he played in Chicago clubs from the late 1950s. - **Guild Starfire** (guitar) A semi-hollow guitar he played in the 1960s. - **Fender Bassman** (amp) His classic amp choice, turned up loud for his raw, overdriven tone. ## Covers - **Five Long Years**, originally by Eddie Boyd He stretched the Chicago classic into a showcase of tension and release. - **Mustang Sally**, originally by Mack Rice A soul standard turned into a guitar romp with Jeff Beck guesting. - **There Is Something on Your Mind**, originally by Big Jay McNeely A doo-wop era ballad given a slow-burning blues treatment. - **Feels Like Rain**, originally by John Hiatt He found the soulful heart in Hiatt's song and made it a late-career favourite. - **Sweet Home Chicago**, originally by Robert Johnson He coaxed President Obama into singing a few lines of the Chicago anthem. ## Timeline - **1936** Born on 30 July in Lettsworth, Louisiana - **1957** Moves to Chicago on 25 September - **1958** Wins a guitar contest against Magic Sam and Otis Rush, leading to his first record deal - **1959** Begins recording for Chess, also working as a session guitarist - **1965** Plays on Junior Wells's Hoodoo Man Blues - **1972** Opens the Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago - **1991** Comeback album Damn Right, I've Got the Blues - **2005** Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - **2012** Receives Kennedy Center Honors and plays the White House - **2024** Completes his Damn Right Farewell Tour ## Facts 1. As late as 1967 he was still driving a tow truck by day while playing clubs at night. 2. Leonard Chess reportedly dismissed his loud, wild playing as mere noise. 3. His polka-dot guitar grew from a story he told his mother about buying a polka-dot Cadillac. 4. He played with his teeth and behind his head long before Jimi Hendrix made those tricks famous. 5. Eric Clapton has called him the best guitar player alive. 6. His brother Phil Guy was also a blues guitarist. 7. His daughter Shawnna became a rapper. 8. He has won nine Grammy Awards plus a Lifetime Achievement Award. 9. In 2025 he appeared in Ryan Coogler's film Sinners. 10. He persuaded President Barack Obama to sing Sweet Home Chicago at a 2012 White House concert. ## Sources - [Wikipedia: Buddy Guy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Guy) - [Wikipedia: Damn Right, I've Got the Blues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damn_Right,_I%27ve_Got_the_Blues) --- GreatestSolos ranks the greatest guitar solos by consensus across published lists. Agent guide: [llms.txt](https://greatestsolos.com/llms.txt) · [Sitemap](https://greatestsolos.com/sitemap.xml) · [Dataset (CSV)](https://greatestsolos.com/data/greatest-guitar-solos.csv) · [How we rank](https://greatestsolos.com/method/)