Playing The Blues

Blues guitarist Buddy Guy looks back on his life in his new memoir, When I Left Home: My Story. I love biographies of musicians and the first thing I noticed about this one was the sound the words made, the rhythm of the spoken voice, in this case the Southern-tinged voice of a working man, a musican, and a survivor. The reader is allowed to feel as if he or she is listening to an interesting older man talk about life and reflect on experiences of joy, loss and endurance. Buddy takes the reader back to his rural childhood, his earliest exposure to music, the ambition that drove him to Chicago, and the ups and downs of a bluesman who spent his nights in front of ecstatic audiences and his days driving a tow truck. Along the way there is much about Chess Records, Buddy's mentors, his successes, his business ventures and his family. Always there is the wise and reflective tone of a man who's lived a life full of music, struggle and triumph. A first rate autobiography.
Related Recordings:
Buddy's Blues                                   Buddy Guy
Blues Singer                                      Buddy Guy
Damn Right I've Got The Blues          Buddy Guy
The Very Best of Buddy Guy             Buddy Guy
Chicago Boss Guitars                        Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Magic Sam
Bring 'Em In                                      Buddy Guy
Skin Deep                                         Buddy Guy
Living Proof                                      Buddy Guy
Hoodoo Man Blues                           Junior Wells, Buddy Guy