Blues icon Buddy Guy burns up the fretboard with Hendrix-like passion on "74 Years Young"

He may be 74 years old, but on "74 Years Young", the opening track off his new album Living Proof, Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy rips up the fretboard with the same ferocity he displayed in the '60s.

"I've been all around the world," croons Guy in the autobiographical number, "everywhere is home/drank wine with Kings and the Rolling Stones/I got a few scars from the battles I won, 'cause I'm 74 years young." Then he lets loose a torrent of scathing blues-metal licks on a '57 Strat and you just know Jimi's smiling down from above.

Guitar freaks should also note that B.B. King and Carlos Santana make appearances on the album, which ends with Guy blazing away on the rowdy instrumental "Skanky". Sounds like blues-rock heaven to me.

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Comments

3 Comments

Camero409

Oct 30, 2010 at 10:48am

One thing you always get from Buddy Guy, honesty. Honesty in his playing, his passion and his words. Today there are only a few guys that have that passion and Buddy is one of them. Keep on, keepin on Buddy!

Steve Newton

Oct 31, 2010 at 2:35pm

not only that, but Buddy's a hell of a nice guy, as I found out a couple of years ago, hanging out <a href="http://www.straight.com/article-169686/buddy-guy-gives-shoutout-vancouve... at the Commodore</a> with him and Drew Burns. I've never met a blues legend I didn't like, even the famously cranky Albert King. There's none nicer than B.B. King, though, who plays <a href="http://www.straight.com/timeout/listing/vancouver/bb-king">two sold-out shows</a> in Coquitlam next weekend.

Jamie1a

Feb 7, 2012 at 6:26pm

I'm just jealous you got to meet him...