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's ironic that when I need a lift from depression (great, middling or otherwise), I can simply watch this well-worn video of Buddy Guy performing "Long Way From Home," a track from Family Style, the 1990 album by the Vaughan Brothers, Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan.
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!
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