Every 1960s rock legend had a conversion moment when they saw Elvis Presley for the first time. The Beatles were just a bunch of scruffy lads from Liverpool interested in the arts, but when they saw Presley shaking his ass playing ‘Jailhouse Rock‘, they knew they had found their new religion and would spend the rest of their lives chasing after what the ‘King of Rock and Roll’ could do. Presley may have had an impact on rock fans, but conversion of Eric Clapton came when he first heard Buddy Guy.
Because Eric Clapton’s catalogue of great songs all stemmed from the blues. “Slowhand” was most likely born in the wrong country. He was approximately ten years too late, given how much of his background is in traditional blues scales. Depending on the song he was playing, he would typically draw inspiration from anyone from Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters.
Guy journeyed to Chicago, seeking the refined side of blues, distinct from Delta blues musicians. Even though The Blues Brothers and the elegant suits that musicians wore during their performances have made Chicago blues more famous than it once was, Guy was never one to follow the rules when he performed.
Muddy Waters might have been able to communicate through his instrument. However, Guy appeared to be the forerunner of a musician such as Jimi Hendrix. Even though he lacked the hippie genius’s showmanship, he was still able to get the most out of his instrument. He engaged in a pitched battle with it that would undoubtedly break one of them by the end of any given song.
Guy’s rise coincided with the emergence of rock & roll. So Eric Clapton, recalling at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “He was for me what Elvis probably was for most other people“. He believed the blues great could have challenged Presley head-to-head. My path lay determined, and he piloted me. Since those early days, Buddy has shaped the core reality of how the blues should sound and look.
Even though it’s simple to sit back and attempt to play BB King’s bluesy riffs, where do you believe Clapton got the fire in his belly when he joined The Yardbirds in the first place? Hearing Hendrix wail over those early blues hits was like listening to the British version of Guy. Complete with those amazing bends that made the guitar sound like it was crying. Hendrix hadn’t even been born yet.
Although Buddy Guy is a great example for any blues guitarist who has ever wanted to really attack their instrument. Clapton would eventually come to appreciate Johnson’s and other artists’ more subdued interpretations of the blues. He wasn’t supposed to sound sophisticated every time he performed. However, when he blew out a solo, you could feel it came from the bottom of his heart.
