An architect of the blues, a craftsman of the building blocks that laid the foundation for today's modern R&B, the multi-Grammy Award-winning blues icon Buddy Guy is here to tell the masses that he 'Ain't Done With The Blues'.
The recipient of the 2015 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Buddy Guy’s incredible career spans over 50 years with just as many albums released. Career highlights include8 Grammy Awards, 38 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), a Kennedy Center Honour, The NARM Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement, Billboard Music Awards’ Century Award for distinguished artistic development, Presidential National Medal of Arts, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to name a few. At 89 years young, Buddy Guy proves that it gets greater later as he continues to record, tour, and remind the world what icons are made of.
Speaking of his motivation behind the music:
This album is about where I’ve been, it’s about where I’m going, and the people I learned everything from, Muddy, Wolf, Walter, Sonny Boy, BB, I could go on and on. Before they passed, they used to say, “Man, if you outlive me, just keep the Blues alive,” and I’m trying to keep that promise. Now, I can’t kick my leg up high as I used to, or jump off the stage like I did in my 20’s and 30’s,but I’m going to give you everything I got as long as I got it.
In a testament to the love and affection shown for Guy, ‘Ain’t Done With The Blues’ features a collection of some of the world’s best known guitarists. The first single released, ‘How Blues is That?’ features Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, while other renowned players such as Peter Frampton, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram and Joe Bonamassa all turn up to play alongside their hero.
Long-time collaborator Tom Hambridge deftly handles production duties on ‘Ain’t Done With The Blues’, and across the 18 tracks his steady hand ensures that the music is delivered with power and passion.
Highlights amongst the massive track list include ‘Where U At’, featuring Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, ‘Jesus Loves The Sinner’ featuring The Blind Boys of Alabama and ‘Dry Stick’ with guest guitarist Joe Bonamassa.
Interspersed throughout the album are little acoustic studio takes when Guy pays tribute to John Lee Hooker with ‘Hooker Thing’ and Lightnin’ Hopkins with ‘One From Lightnin’. These little acoustic interludes make the listener hungry for striped back acoustic tribute album to Guy’s peers. And given the fact he’s showing no signs of slowing down with age, then maybe one day he’ll release an all acoustic album.
‘Ain’t Done With The Blues’ is another masterful album from the living legend that is Buddy Guy.