Blues legend George "Buddy" Guy was born on this date — July 30 — in 1936, as the U.S. was struggling to unfetter itself from the tenacious grasp of the Great Depression.
It was recorded May 11, 1995, for PBS's Austin City Limits and released more than a year later as a CD and video called Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, a star-studded SRV tribute hosted by Jimmie, who appears in the video below. The DVD features performances by Jimmie (We dig his true-to-the-original version of "Texas Flood"), Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Robert Cray, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt and more.
The clip is special because it's a composite of everything that's intriguing — and/or off the wall — about Buddy Guy. There's the theatrics as he makes right-hand gestures and facial expressions while fretting notes with his left hand; there's his slightly off-pitch, 16-second-long, just-plain-crazy sustained note; his undeniable stage presence, a bit of flash at the end — and let's not forget the vocals, for which Guy rarely receives enough credit.
As always, enjoy!
