At age 69, Buddy Guy can still get the job done. Grade = B
With Bring 'Em In, Hall of Famer Buddy Guy is still getting it done.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
CD Review: Buddy Guy Bring 'Em In - Comments Page 2
At age 69, Buddy Guy can still get the job done. Grade = B
With Bring 'Em In, Hall of Famer Buddy Guy is still getting it done.…
Article comments
26 - Tony
This news story of a Buddy Guy show in Virginia further proves what DJRadiohead wrote in his review: "...Buddy Guy on a regular day outshines many artists at their best." It also relates to Mike's experience at a recent Buddy Guy live show.
THE ROANOKE TIMES: BUDDY GUY CONVERTS STAGE TO HOME OF THE BLUES
October 15, 2005
"Who can pitch a wang-dang-doodle, give a history lesson, crack up an audience and make the group testify to the power of the blues?
Buddy Guy can. For 90 minutes Friday night, Guy turned Jefferson Center's Shaftman Performance Hall into his house. And the audience was happy to let him turn the hall into a Chicago blues joint for the night…
The man is a genetic marvel, nearing 70 but still possessed of the dexterity and speed to put a man of 21 to shame.
But he also has the wisdom gained from his friendships with such blues giants as Muddy Waters, so he knows when to hold back and when to boil up a fever. He ruled the stage, but gave plenty of exposure to the talents of his backing band -- particularly Jay Moynihan on sax, Marty Sammon on keyboards, Rick Hall on guitar. All three can burn, but that doesn't intimidate someone like Guy. They paid him back by being an extra-tight, loose and funky crew…
...He made sure to tell the sold-out room about the places he'd been and the people he'd known.
British players such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck had cited Guy as a chief influence in what was dubbed the British Invasion of blues and roots rock. Guy took exception to that term of genre. "No it's not" the British Invasion, he said to building applause from the crowd. "It's what Muddy Waters was doing, and Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter, and Sonny Boy Williamson, and Jimmy Reed, and John Lee Hooker." Then he played some of those styles...
He followed up with Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child," heavy on the wah-wah. Guy used "Voodoo Child" to crack up the crowd. While he held one sustained note, his head dropped as if he were asleep. His stage manager brought him a mug of coffee and "woke him up." Guy took a big drink and started ripping back into it, playing with his teeth...
He spoke about conversations he had with the troubled yet wildly talented Hendrix and Janis Joplin, in which they told him not ever to become a superstar, "because they're not what you call in the groove." "I said, 'The groove you're in, I don't want to get in that,' " Guy told the crowd.
He also proved to be spontaneous with the songs he played. He commonly stopped the band so he could tell a quick story and get into another song. "I know you'll pick up the paper tomorrow, and it'll say, 'He forgot the f------ song,' " he said to a roar of laughter.
No, no, Buddy. It's your stage. Do your thing."
http://www.roanoke.com/extra/wb/wb/xp-36379
Buddy Guy has still got the chops, among all the older musicians of his generation. His live performances, whenever he decides to turn it on, are still among the best. And he does it without the gimmicks and props other artists have to use to compensate for their lack of on-stage talent. Buddy's always taking risks and stretching out. He never repeats the same thing night after night. He’ll often change the same song dramatically from one performance to the next, and his funky band competently jams along with his spontaneity. For example, Buddy's performances of “What Kind of Woman Is This” are different on the studio version, his live performances on Jay Leno’s Tonight show in late September as well as on the NPR World Cafe radio show (see post #24).