Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away
I recommend watching Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away. It is one of the first documentaries that I've watched where musicians succinctly put their craft's root meaning and passion into words. Interviews with Eric Clapton, John Mayer , Carlos Santana and Gary Clark Jr. pay homage to Buddy's life, his music and the Blues. Simply put, the show blew my mind. But it wasn't the first time, second, or even the third time related to Buddy Guy.
The first time I watched Buddy Guy live was at Hubbard Park in Iowa City in 1992. He opened for Blues Traveler and sadly, I had never heard of him. To this day, I don't know if he was mad that he was opening for Blues Traveler or if he played that way every night, but it was a performance I will never forget.
When he opened the show, the crowd wasn't into the music. He played a few songs, but people were talking and not paying attention. Then he unleashed his guitar with piercing notes and crazy showmanship. He stepped onto a small runway off the stage, where he started playing with his teeth and behind his back. It was a frenzy that ended just short of him smashing his guitar. It was a bit of a letdown when Blues Traveler took the stage, but they managed to show their musicianship too.
The second time I watched Buddy Guy play was in a hotel conference room in Cedar Rapids. There were about 200 people at the concert and Buddy Guy torched the place. At one point, he walked down the aisle as people were patting him on the back and screaming (myself included). He kept playing down the aisle, paused in the lobby for several minutes before going out the doors into the parking lot. The whole time he was shredding the place with a guitar solo and his band kept playing.
The third time I was at his blues club in Chicago with a friend. We had a few beers, shot pool and listened to the house band knowing Buddy Guy wasn't scheduled to play. As it got close to closing time, we asked the bartender if he could get us a cab because we worried about walking back to the hotel. We waited and waited. Then the bartender closed the doors and said the taxi would be there shortly and we could hang out until it got there. Buddy Guy came up the stairs from the basement and started visiting with the bartender as we waited. Then he turned to us and started chatting. He asked about the flooding that was going on in Iowa and genuinely cared about what was happening. I couldn't believe how nice he was. I asked for an autograph, and we were on our way.
His humility and connection to the music and the artists that played before him shine in the documentary. To hear John Mayer talk about growing up and searching for sounds and artists reminded me a lot of myself (although I could never play). The documentary is a reaffirmation of how special music can be and the dedication that musicians have for their craft. It also shines a light on how naive America was when it came to racism and culture.
Do yourself a favor and pause for 82 minutes to watch this documentary. Buddy Guy is a true legend and a gift to the world. You will be happy you watched it.
For more than two decades, Joseph L. Murphy has had the pleasure of meeting and connecting with people from all walks of life through photography. He has photographed presidents and heads of state, traversed the winding alleyways of the Fes Medina in Morocco, photographed the sprawling countryside and people that make up Argentina and covered events that have defined the U.S. Most recently, Murphy’s travels have taken him to Cambodia, Mexico, China, Vietnam and Ecuador.
He has spent the past 20 years specializing in agriculture photography for multiple organizations, publications and marketing projects.
A graduate of the University of Iowa, Murphy determined at an early age that his love of photography would shape his vision for life.