"The Experience" with Buddy Guy

Words and photos by Dan Locke

On December 19, 2012, a small but mighty crowd headed over to the DuSable Museum to enjoy a night of talk and performance from a Blue Great, Buddy Guy.

During the 1 1/2 hour interview and performance Buddy talked about growing up in the old south, coming to Chicago, Chess Records and his career with people like BB King, Jimi Hendrix, Tracy Chapman, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones and others Blues and Rock greats.

He seems to be a very simple man with simple values in life. If someone help you in your life you repay them back if you can.
A. He talked about his first real guitar he had. He used to sit on a front steps playing a 2 string instrument. And a stranger walked up to him and asked him, if you could play that thing. And Buddy told him that he could. So that stranger took him to the store to buy him a guitar. Later Buddy learned this stranger was a friend of his dad. But he never had the chance to repay him back.

B. In Chicago he was down to the last of his money. He went to a pay phone to call his mother collect. But he needed a dime (you would put in a dimeinto the phone, to call collect and it would come back to you). No one would give him a dime. But he had his guitar with him. A man come up to him and asked him if he could play that thing. Buddy showed him. The man then offer to take him to meet Muddy Water, give him a meal and let him get ready before the meeting. He never found out who this person was. And if it was not for this stanger Buddy would have left Chicago.

C. Buddys' two ex-wives, They wanted him to get a regular job. And they told Buddy it was either them or his guitar. He picked his guitar. And to this day every-time his exes ask for a car. Buddy would buy them one.

During the interview Buddy told Dedry Jones that he did not feel he was a great guitarist. There were plenty of people who were better then him. In fact he hated to listen to his own recording. He would rather listen to someone else. And you could see this in his face. Everytime they played one of his recording he seems very uncomfortable to listen to it.

One thing Buddy say that he has played for free during alot of his career. Early in his career, the club owners would not paid him. They love to pay the performs in cheap drinks, and women. Or just say they did not make any money (if they were playing for the door money). One time a owner put a gun in his face.

After the interview Buddy played 3 songs. and in closing he said "He is still playing for free"

--- Read more at UnRatedMagazine.com |

About UnRated Magazine

This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.