Roy Buchanan
Roy Buchanan | |
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Arlington, Virginia , U.S. |
Leroy "Roy" Buchanan (September 23, 1939 – August 14, 1988) was an American guitarist and
Biography
Birth and early career: 1939–1960
Leroy Buchanan was born in
In 1958, Buchanan made his recording debut with Chicago's Chess Records at age 19, accompanying Dale Hawkins by playing the solo on "My Babe.[7] Two years later, during a tour through Toronto, Buchanan left Dale Hawkins to play for Hawkins's cousin Ronnie Hawkins and tutor Ronnie's guitar player, Robbie Robertson. Buchanan plays bass on the Ronnie Hawkins single "Who Do You Love?".[8] Buchanan soon returned to the United States, and members of the Ronnie Hawkins' group later gained fame as the roots rock group the Band.[9] In the early 1960s, Buchanan often played as a sideman with various rock bands, and he played guitar in recording sessions with Freddy Cannon, Merle Kilgore, and others. At the end of the 1960s, with a growing family, Buchanan left the music industry to learn a trade and trained as a barber.[10]
Recording career: 1961–1988
In 1961 he released "Mule Train Stomp", his first single for
Gossage recalls how Roy was very impressed by the Hendrix 1967 debut album
Buchanan's life changed in 1971, when he gained national notice as the result of an hour-long
His first album for Alligator,
Death
According to his agent and others, Buchanan was doing well, having gained control of his drinking habit and playing again, when he was arrested for public intoxication after a domestic dispute.[2][6] He was found hanged from his own shirt in a jail cell on August 14, 1988, in the Fairfax County, Virginia, Jail. According to Thomas Hartman, who was in a cell near Buchanan's, the deputy sheriff opened the door early in the morning and found Buchanan with the shirt around his neck.[9][17] His cause of death was officially recorded as suicide, a finding disputed by Buchanan's friends and family. One of his friends, Marc Fisher, reported seeing Roy's body with bruises on the head.[19]
After his death, compilation and other albums continue to be released, including in 2004 the never-released first album he recorded for Polydor, The Prophet. Roy Buchanan is interred at
Equipment
Buchanan used a number of guitars in his career, although he was most often associated with a 1953 Fender Telecaster, serial number 2324, nicknamed "Nancy."[20] At some point "Nancy" had jumbo frets installed, but remained largely original. There are two very different stories explaining how Buchanan got the guitar. He himself said that, while enrolled in 1969 in a school to learn to be a hairdresser, he ran after a guy walking down the street with that guitar, and bought him a purple Telecaster to trade. Buchanan also owned a Butterscotch Blonde 1952 Fender Telecaster that eventually wound up in the possession of Wishbone Ash guitarist Andy Powell. A friend of Buchanan's, however, said that Buchanan was playing a Gibson Les Paul at the time, and traded it for the '53 Tele.[21] One of Buchanan's Telecasters was later owned by Danny Gatton and Mike Stern, who lost it in a robbery.[22] He was reported using a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue for some time. Early in 1979 he switched to a 1975 sunburst Fender Stratocaster for a few years. Also, he used to play a Gibson L-5 CES when he was very young.
Tone and technique
Buchanan played the Telecaster through a Fender Vibrolux amplifier with the volume and tone "full out," and used the guitar's volume and tone controls to control volume and sound
Buchanan taught himself various playing techniques, including "
This was particularly notable in his approach to using
Legacy
Buchanan has influenced many guitarists, including Robbie Robertson, Gary Moore,[25] Danny Gatton, Arlen Roth, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour,[26] Jerry Garcia, Mick Ronson, Nils Lofgren, Jim Campilongo, and Steve Kimock;[27] Beck dedicated his version of "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" from Blow by Blow to him.[28] His work is said to "stretch the limits of the electric guitar,"[16] and he is praised for "his subtlety of tone and the breadth of his knowledge, from the blackest of blues to moaning R&B and clean, concise, bone-deep rock 'n' roll."[29]
In 2004, Guitar Player listed his version of "Sweet Dreams," from his debut album on Polydor, Roy Buchanan, as having one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time."[1] In the same year, the readers of Guitar Player voted Buchanan #46 in a top 50 readers' poll.[30]
Discography
Studio albums
- Buch and the Snakestretchers, 1971, BIOYA (homemade/self-produced/sold only at gigs)
- Roy Buchanan, August 1972, Polydor - US #107
- Second Album, March 1973, Polydor - US #86
- That's What I Am Here For, November 1973, Polydor - US #152
- In the Beginning (UK title: Rescue Me), December 1974, Polydor - US #160
- A Street Called Straight, April 1976, Atlantic - US #148
- Loading Zone, May 1977, Atlantic[31] - US #105
- You're Not Alone, April 1978, Atlantic - US #119
- My Babe, November 1980, Waterhouse/AJK - US #193
- When a Guitar Plays the Blues, July 1985, Alligator - US #161
- Dancing on the Edge, June 1986, Alligator - US #153
- Hot Wires, September 1987, Alligator
Live albums
- Live Stock, (rec. 1974) August 1975, Polydor
- Live in Japan, (rec. 1977) 1978, Polydor [Japan]
- Live: Charly Blues Legend, Vol. 9, 1987, Charly
- Live in U.S.A. & Holland, (rec. 1977–85) 1991, Silver Shadow
- Charly Blues Masterworks: Roy Buchanan Live, 1999, Charly/Red X
- American Axe: Live in 1974, 2003, Powerhouse
- Live: Amazing Grace, (rec. 1974–83) 2009, Powerhouse
- Live at Rockpalast, (rec. 1985) 2011, MIG Music
- Live from Austin, TX (rec. 1976) 2012, New West
- Shredding the Blues: Live at My Father's Place, (rec. 1978 & 1984) 2014, Rockbeat
- Telemaster: Live in '75, 2017, Powerhouse
- Live at Town Hall 1974, 2018, Real Gone Music
Compilation albums
- The Best of Roy Buchanan, 1982, Polydor
- The Early Years, 1989, Krazy Kat
- Sweet Dreams: The Anthology, 1992, Polydor
- Guitar on Fire: The Atlantic Sessions, 1993, Rhino/Atlantic
- Malaguena, 1996, Annecillo
- Before And After: The Last Recordings, 1999, Rollercoaster Records UK
- Deluxe Edition: Roy Buchanan, 2001, Alligator[14]
- 20th Century Masters–The Millennium Collection: The Best of Roy Buchanan, 2002, Polydor
- The Prophet: The Unreleased First Polydor Album, 2004, Hip-O Select/UMe
- The Definitive Collection, 2006, Polydor/UMe
- Rhino Hi-Five: Roy Buchanan, 2007, Rhino/Atlantic
- After Hours: The Early Years, 1957–1962 Recordings, 2016, Soul Jam
References
- ^ a b c Blackett, Matt (October 2004). "The 50 Greatest Tones of All Time". Guitar Player. 38 (10): 44–66.
- ^ New York Times. August 17, 1988. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
- ^ a b Harrington, Richard (August 21, 1988). "Roy Buchanan, A Study in Blues". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ISBN 0-87930-639-4.
- ^ "Carson2001" p. 174
- ^ a b c d e Cauffiel, Lowell (July 1993). "A Long-Lost Lesson: Roy Buchanan". Guitar Player. pp. 46–54.
- ^ "Carson2001" pp. 46–47
- ^ Robertson, Robbie (2016): Testimony, p. 100
- ^ a b c Carson, Phil (August 1999). "The Life and Times of Roy Buchanan". Sweet Dreams of Roy Buchanan. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
- ^ "Carson2001" p. 100
- New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
- ^ "Carson2001" p. 92
- ^ About Danny Massters. Cast Influence Productions. [1]
- ^ a b c d Levy, Adam (May 2001). "Rev. of Roy Buchanan, Deluxe Edition/Johnny Winter, Deluxe Edition". Guitar Player. pp. 135–36.
- ^ "Roy Buchanan on turning down the Stones and being flattered by Beck". earofnewt.com. January 25, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ a b "Roy Buchanan, 48; guitarist set new musical standards". Chicago Sun-Times. August 16, 1988. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
- ^ a b Davis, Patricia; Sandra Evans (August 17, 1988). "Roy Buchanan, Guitarist, Found Hanged in Va. Jail; Artist Faced Alcohol Charge". The Washington Post. p. B3.
- ^ Joyce, Mike (December 16, 1987). "Alligator's Cutting Edge; Delivering the Blues, From Buchanan to Chicago". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
- ^ "Sweet dreams of Roy Buchanan". December 13, 2006. Archived from the original on December 13, 2006. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7603-3646-5.
- ^ Carson, Phil (January 2002). "Roadhouse Wizard: An Exclusive Preview of Roy Buchanan, American Axe". Guitar Player. pp. 102–106.
- ^ Gold, Jude (June 2007). "Mike Stern". Guitar Player. pp. 28–30.
- ^ Cauffiel, Lowell (September 2008). "Flashback: Roy Buchanan October 1976". Guitar Player. p. 192.
- ^ Ellis, Andy (May 2005). "Lead Guitar 101: Wrenching Triple-String Oblique Bends". Guitar Player. p. 39.
- ^ Fox, Darrin (October 2007). "Gary Moore". Guitar Player. pp. 66–72.
- ^ J. Stix. "Guitar Classics, January 1985 : Out of the Pink and Into the Blues". Pfco.neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
David Gilmour : I was a blues fan but I was an all-around music fan. For me it was Leadbelly through B.B. King and later Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen and anyone you care to mention.
- ^ Fox, Darrin (November 2005). "Oeuvre Easy: Roy Buchanan". Guitar Player. p. 44.
- ^ Blackett, Matt (December 2000). "Pure Genius: Guitar's Magnificent Rebel Puts a Twist on Techno". Guitar Player. pp. 98–106.
- ^ Zibart, Eve (August 19, 1988). "No Slickee, No Stoppee". The Washington Post. p. N21.
- ^ Molenda, Michael (March 2004). "The 2004 Guitar Player Readers Poll". Guitar Player. pp. 58–62.
- ^ "Billboard's Top Album Picks". Billboard. May 28, 1977. pp. 78, 80. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
External links
- Biography, Discography and Photo Gallery
- Roy Buchanan discography at Discogs