A long time ago, a buddy living in Vancouver BC invited me to see a set of blues movies. Among the gems was a very young Buddy Guy appearing on early '60's television, first with his Chicago band (heavy on the horns), and then playing an acoustic guitar duet with somebody like Son House.

Since I was already acquainted with his Junior Wells work, it made me appreciate Mr. Guy's range of styles all the more. His backing of both Junior Wells and Son House was (and is) the epitome of tasteful blues accompaniment, while his Chicago band of 1962 was VERY horn-oriented, with his screaming vocals on top of it. His modern work has emphasized flash over substance, but he's got great chops at the foundation.

I think Buddy Guy had the misfortune of coming along in the second generation of Chicago blues players (along with Magic Sam and Otis Rush). These guys were just after the golden age of Chicago blues, so didn't get the appreciation of us "classic blues" fans, and were just before the rock revolution and British invasion blotted out the sun of Chicago's blues players. It's really a testament that he's still playing.

Some other good Buddy Guy records include backing Junior Wells on one of the best blues album ever made - "HooDoo Man Blues" (Delmark) - and "Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Play the Blues" (Atlantic, 1972), where the back up band includes Eric Clapton Dr. John, and the J. Geils band.