George "Buddy" Guy (born 30th July 1936 is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of the Chicago blues and has influenced blues guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Born and raised in Lettsworth, Louisiana, Buddy Guy began learning guitar on a two-string diddley bow he made. Later he was given a Harmony acoustic guitar, which, decades later in Buddy Guy's lengthy career was donated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the early 1950s he began performing with bands in Baton Rouge.
Soon after moving to Chicago in 1957, Buddy Guy fell under the influence of Muddy Waters. In the 1960s Guy was a member of Muddy Waters' band and was a house guitarist at Chess Records. Buddy Guy had a long musical partnership with harmonica player Junior Wells.
Blues musician Buddy Guy was born George Guy on July 30, 1936, in Lettsworth, Louisiana. Buddy Guy was born to Sam and Isabel Guy as one of five children. At 7 years old, he gained a budding interest in music. Also at this age, Buddy Guy created a two-string instrument with a piece of wood and a few hairpins that he called a guitar—this makeshift instrument was a far cry from his guitar that would eventually make its way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it was a start.
By the age of 19, Buddy Guy had begun working at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge as a custodian. Also by this time, he had managed to get his first real guitar and begun playing in clubs around Baton Rouge. Though he continued to hone his musical skills, it wasn't until the summer of 1957 that Guy decided to pursue a career in music. During the hot Louisiana summer, a friend of Guy's suggested that Guy try his luck as a musician in the Windy City.
Motivated by musicians such as John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Slim and Guitar Slim, Buddy Guy took a train out to Chicago on September 25, 1957—a date so special to Guy that it has since been engraved on all of his guitars—to make a better living for himself. Despite his friend's advice, Guy hadn't leave for Chicago to become a professional musician, but in hopes of making at least twice as much working as a custodian at a University in Chicago.
Inductee: Buddy Guy is one of the titans of the blues, straddling traditional and modern forms, as well as musical generations. He’s worked with Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Howlin’ Wolf, on one hand, and Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Rolling Stones, on the other. There are few notable blues figures that Buddy Guy hasn’t brushed up against. He was even an influence on Jimi Hendrix. The genre’s most electrifying guitarist, Guy has remained a vital and current musician, moving blues forward without losing sight of its roots.
