Buddy Guy on His Love for Guitar and Discovering the Fender Stratocaster

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“I was in love with what I heard,” says blues legend Buddy Guy about his introduction to the guitar. “I’ve dedicated my life to it. The guitar is the love of my life.”

In this 2014 episode of the At: Guitar Center podcast, Guy talks to host Nic Harcourt about his father buying him his first guitar from his earnings cutting wood, being so shy at his first gig that he got fired for not facing the audience, discussing “Strange Brew” with Eric Clapton and more.

“When I was about 16 or 17 years old, Guitar Slim—one of the greatest guitar players I ever saw—came to Baton Rouge,” remembers Guy about the first time he saw someone playing a Fender Stratocaster. “He walked in the door playing this guitar, and I thought, ‘What the hell is that?’ I didn’t even know what it was. It was this solid piece of wood sounding so loud. I fell in love with Strats right then.”

Guy also touches upon the responsibility of a performer to their audience, sharing his own evaluation for when it’s time to abandon stepping onstage.

“I’m a happy person when I’m playing,” he says. “And if I ever get to the point where I’m not happy, I don’t think I should go up there and play. I’d be cheating the people who think enough of me to come out and listen.”

Follow Buddy Guy at https://www.buddyguy.net

Chapters
00:00 - Intro with Buddy Guy
01:29 - Buddy Guy On His First Meeting with Eric Clapton
02:25 - Buddy’s Beginnings as a Guitarist
06:07 - Buddy Guy’s Love of the Fender Stratocaster
07:08 - Memories of Stepping on the Stage for the First Time
08:34 - The Feeling of Making Music
10:01 - Buddy Guy’s Inspirations and Motivation
11:48 - What Has Changed in the Blues?
13:35 - Outro Playing