Buddy Guy is the last of the living guitar giants who built their legacy in Chicago’s post-World War II blues scene. Nearly all of the bluesmen whose music reshaped American popular culture arrived there from Mississippi during the Great Migration. Many of the rest — including Little Walter, Bobby Rush and Guy — came up from Louisiana.
“September 25, 1957 is the day that changed my life,” Guy told the audience. It was the day he made it “from a plantation in Louisiana to the concrete jungle of Chicago.”
When Guy played The Factory at The District on Friday night for the St. Louis stop of his Buddy Guy 90 Tour, he reminded the crowd of the moment he often calls his “second birthday.”
“September 25, 1957 is the day that changed my life,” Guy told the audience. It was the day he made it “from a plantation in Louisiana to the concrete jungle of Chicago.”
He arrived hungry, hoping to play for his hero Muddy Waters. He played through the hunger. After leaving the room stunned, he asked for something to eat.
“You play like that, you ain’t never gonna be hungry again,” Waters told him — a story Guy has repeated over the years, including in the 2021 documentary Buddy Guy: Chase the Blues Away.
Lawrence Bryant | St. Louis American
Waters was right. Guy has been “eating” ever since. His signature sound shaped not only the blues, but pop, rock and metal.
St. Louis blues fans witnessed that staying power once again. “I love coming here,” Guy said as the crowd welcomed him with a standing ovation. They responded throughout the night with applause and verbal affirmation.
“I don’t get this kind of treatment everywhere I go,” he admitted, noting he was five days away from his 90th birthday.
He might not — but he should. Guy is your favorite guitarist’s favorite guitarist. Jimi Hendrix counted him among his biggest influences. Riffs inspired by Guy can be heard everywhere from The Allman Brothers in the 1970s to modern acts like James Bay, Coldplay and Gary Clark Jr.
His hour-plus set on Friday served as further proof that Guy is not a relic. Last year, on his birthday, he released Ain’t Done with the Blues. And at 90, he is still doing his part to ensure the blues — in its original form — lives on.
Guy announced his retirement two years ago. At 88, he had earned it. But he returned to the road — perhaps boosted by the exposure from filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who gave him a cameo in his blockbuster film Sinners. Or maybe he simply knew he still had something to contribute.
Whatever the reason, Guy delivered a show that demonstrated he still carries what Waters saw in him nearly 70 years ago.
He opened with his classic “Damn Right, I Got the Blues.” He honored Waters with “Hoochie Coochie Man” and moved through blues staples including B.B. King’s “How Blue Can You Get” and his own “Love Her With a Feeling.”
Guy also paid tribute to Bobby Rush — who is still touring into his 90s — with a take on Rush’s “Chicken Heads.”
While Ric Hall assisted on some of the guitar solos, Guy managed the weight of the performance. He sang. He played. And he kept the audience engaged from the moment he stepped onstage until his children joined him to close the show. He shared the stage with his son Greg on guitar and his daughter Carlise on vocals.
Lawrence Bryant | St. Louis American
Carlise Guy and her band opened the night with a well-received hour-long set that included original music, blues standards and Black music classics like James Brown’s “Sex Machine” and Cameo’s “Word Up.”