Black Excellence: Buddy Guy

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/27/g-s1-110938/buddy-guy-tiny-desk-concert

Buddy Guy displays a youthful spirit during his Tiny Desk that makes you question if he really turns 90 this year. Once the music starts, his subtle speaking voice transforms into a mighty instrument, demanding your attention. Guy wails on his polka dot Stratocaster, reminding us of his skill and showmanship. The title of his latest album, Ain’t Done with the Blues, is not only apt but defiant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Guy

GeorgeBuddyGuy (born July 30, 1936)[1] is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr., and John Mayer. In the 1960s, Guy played with Muddy Waters as a session guitarist at Chess Records and began a musical partnership with blues harp virtuoso Junior Wells.

Guy has won nine Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. Guy was ranked 27th in Rolling Stone magazine’s 2023 list of greatest guitarists of all time.[2] His song “Stone Crazy” was ranked 78th in the Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time”.[3] Clapton once described him as “the best guitar player alive”.[4] In 1999, Guy wrote the book Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues, with Donald Wilcock.[5] His autobiography, When I Left Home: My Story, was published in 2012.[6]