Buddy Guy, original name George Guy, (born July 30, 1936, Lettsworth, Louisiana, U.S.), American blues musician noted for his slashing electric guitar riffs and passionate vocals.
Guy made his own guitar at age 13 and taught himself to play by trying to reproduce the sounds of bluesmen such as John Lee Hooker that he heard on the radio. He started playing clubs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while still a teenager and in 1957 went on to Chicago. There he was discovered by blues great Muddy Waters, who helped him find work at the 708 Club, where he met other legendary bluesmen, including B.B. King and Willie Dixon. In 1960–67 he recorded several hits for the Chess label, including “Leave My Girl Alone” and “Stone Crazy.” He also worked as a sideman for such artists like Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, and Koko Taylor.
In the 1970s and ’80s Guy continued to record and performed often with blues harmonica player Junior Wells, but he fell victim to the growing popularity of rock music. It was not until younger white musicians—among them, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Keith Richards, and Jeff Beck—acknowledged their debt to Guy and other bluesmen that his fortunes again began to rise. He made several Grammy-winning albums in the 1990s, including Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues (1991), Feels Like Rain (1993), and Slippin’ In (1994). In 2003 Guy released his first acoustic blues recording, Blues Singer, and he won additional Grammys for his albums Living Proof (2010) and Born to Play Guitar(2015). In 2012 he was named a Kennedy Center honoree, and in 2015 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy.
In addition to his work as a musician, Guy has owned two renowned blues clubs in Chicago, the Checkerboard Lounge (1972–85) and (since 1989) Buddy Guy’s Legends.