Buddy Guy

Featuring a foreword from blues and rock legend Eric Clapton The man who shaped the sound of modern rock—a sharecropper's son from Louisiana who became the musical North Star for generations of blues and rock stars and the ultimate torchbearer of the blues. Buddy Guy is the living bridge between the Chicago blues and the global explosion of rock that followed. When Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter ruled Chess Records, Buddy was there, absorbing and pushing the music forward. He would become the blues oracle to guitar greats like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and countless others. Drawing on years of research, interviews, and access to Buddy's inner circle, biographer Sandra B. Tooze delivers the most complete portrait yet of this towering figure. From London in 1965—where his performances helped spark British rock—to Chicago clubs and global stages, Buddy redefined the electric blues and still performs in his late eighties. Tooze captures Buddy's struggles with racism and industry indifference, alongside his humor and commitment to mentoring younger musicians. And at the heart of the book is Buddy's promise to Muddy Waters: the blues will not die on his watch. An intimate biography and sweeping history of American music, Buddy Guy is the story of how the blues shaped rock and how one man became its greatest guardian.

Sandra B. Tooze is an award-winning music biographer, editor, and blues historian. She is the author of Muddy Waters: The Mojo Man, which received international acclaim and was named Best Biography of 1997 by Real Blues magazine, featuring a foreword by Eric Clapton and endorsements from Mick Jagger and Levon Helm. Her work on Muddy Waters led to her selection as keynote speaker honoring him at the Masters of American Music conference, co-sponsored by Case Western Reserve University and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tooze is also the author of LEVON: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of the Band and Beyond (Diversion Books), which received enthusiastic reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, MOJO, and Modern Drummer, and featured a back-cover blurb from President Bill Clinton. A former senior production editor at Penguin Random House Canada and former co-owner of a blues record label, Tooze brings unmatched editorial rigor and musical insight to her work. She has also served as a longtime reviewer for Maple Blues magazine and remains deeply embedded in the blues and roots-music community.