Buddy Guy to Release New Album "Skin Deep" July 2 2008

Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix have claimed to Buddy Guy as their prime inspiration.

Despite this he is pretty humble

"A lot of guitar players won't be honest with you about, 'I did this, I did that. You look at me.' I'll tell you the truth: I didn't do nothing. Everything you see me do, I got it from somebody else, any award I ever achieved in my life, including being inducted into the Hall of Fame, belongs to someone like [Guitar] Slim or Lonnie Johnson."

For the first time in his long history he will release an album of completely new material, Skin Deep, idue for release July 22, 2008

"I just want it to be a surprise, because it's 100 percent new material, Im not redoing anybody's old stuff."

At nearly 72 he sees this as a critical album in his career

"I've been trying to record it since I first started picking up a guitar, I haven't felt this good about a CD in a long time."

In a recent interview in Atlanta he recalls the first time he heard BB King and Guitar Slim:

"When they introduced B.B. King, he pops out on the stage and picks up his guitar and starts playing these beautiful notes. When they introduced Guitar Slim, he came in the door on the shoulders of another man with a 150-foot , and I said to myself, 'I want to play like B.B. King and act like Guitar Slim"

Buddy also recalls first meeting Eric and Jimmy Page:

"When I first met Jimmy and Eric, they told me they didn't know about the Stratocaster because they didn't know it could play blues, they thought the Stratocaster was just made to play country and western."

Image: Courtesy Vanguard

Buddy Guy in Sydney March 13 2008

OK, if I told you that Buddy Guy was the man who inspired Jimi Hendrix with his stage antics, teeth playing, behind the back work, etc, you would'nt believe me.

If I told you that he is the man who Eric Clapton calls God, you'd say Who ?

He is one of the great electric blues palyers who toured Europe in the 60's as part of the American Folk Blues Festival, the show that set Eric, The Stones and Pete Townshend on fire.

Guitar magazine: "Without Buddy Guy, the blues, not to mention rock as we know it, might be a heckuva lot less interesting today. Take the blues out of contemporary rock music—or pop, jazz and funk for that matter—and what you have left is a wholly spineless affair. A tasteless stew. Makes you shudder to think about it... "

Jeff Beck: "Geez, you can’t forget Buddy Guy. He transcended blues and started becoming theater. It was high art, kind of like drama theater when he played, you know. He was playing behind his head long before Hendrix. I once saw him throw the guitar up in the air and catch it in the same chord."

Eric Clapton: "Buddy Guy is by far and without a doubt the best guitar player alive...if you see him in person, the way he plays is beyond anyone. Total freedom of spirit, I guess… He really changed the course of rock and roll blues."

Catch him (it will be one of best concerts you have ever seen) at the great Enmore Theatre March 13 Ticketek and at East Coast Bluesfest Easter long weekend

Image: Courtesy Jive