where to start with Buddy Guy and Gatemouth Brown?

[CJ Shearn]

I bought Carlos Santana Presents The Blues at Montreux 2004 which features Bobby Parker, Gate and Buddy Guy. I haven't watched the Buddy Guy disc yet, but I have seen him before on TV, have heard a few stray bits here and there and hes awesome . Anyway, this is my first foray into the blues as a genre, so what albums of Brown's and Guy's are recommended as an entry point. Is Guy's 4 disc "Can't Quit the Blues" on Silvertone/Legacy a good starting point? it also includes a DVD with documentary and concert footage.

[Soul Stream]

There's only ONE place to start with Buddy Guy...and that's

Buddy Guy "A Man And The Blues"

http://www.amazon.com/Man-Blues-Buddy-Guy/...8341&sr=8-1

...p.s....don't buy it through this link if you do as it's not an Organissimo link (which i don't know how to do)

[scottb]

That Buddy Guy box set is a good starting point. It has a good sampling from different phases of his career. I was looking at it today and contemplating getting it just for the DVD.

As for Gatemouth, I really enjoy his early Peacock recordings and there is (was) a release on Rounder Records entitled THE ORIGINAL PEACOCK RECORDINGS which I enjoy alot. Very TBone. As for his later stuff, STANDIN' MY GROUND on Alligator Records is the one I always grab. It's Gate at his prime doing the fiddle thing, impersonating female voices and well... being Gate.

A good place to start exploring the blues are the Chess 50th anniversary series. Most are entitled HIS BEST except for Buddy Guy's which is called BUDDY"S BLUES. I have the Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley, and John Lee Hooker from this series and they are all great! The Hooker is the only one I wouldn't replace if lost.

[CJ Shearn]

thanks Scott. Gate's set on the Blues at Montreux set is fantastic. Great band too, Joe Krown, new to me, and the sax player Eric Demmer (I think) were on fire

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Bobby Parker, too - now there's a blast from the past. I saw him live in the late '60s.

Chess is where you should start with Guy, as Scott says. Also, he made a number of excellent recordings teamed with Junior Wells (and usually under Wells' name. "Hoodoo man blues" on Delmark is a great classic, as is "It's my life baby" on Vanguard.

Sad to say, I don't have any blues recordings by Gatemouth; only a jazz album, with Paul Bryant and Plas Johnson which is wonderful.

MG

[jostber]

Two great with Buddy Guy is here:

Slippin' In

http://www.amazon.com/Slippin-Buddy-Guy/dp...7708198-2811344

The Very Best Of

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Very-Best-Us-Buddy...2372&sr=8-3

And the early Gatemouth is a must to have:

Original Peacock Recordings

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Peacock-R...719&sr=8-17

[Dan Gould]

CJ, I received that Santana Montreaux blues DVD for Christmas and was really knocked out by the Gatemouth set. As mentioned above, the Peacock recordings are the place to start. Alright Again is the next CD for pure blues, it looks back toward the Peacock sessions for inspiration.

Remember that Gate had a lot of influences outside of blues, and I'd strongly recommend Sings Louis Jordan (Black & Blue) and two of his 1990s Verve albums, American Music, Texas Style, and Gate Swings. Those have the added bonus of some younger major league jazz artists helping out (Nicholas Payton and Wes Anderson).

[kh1958]

Buddy Guy, for starters:

Stone Crazy

DJ Play My Blues

With Junior Wells:

Hoodoo Man Blues

Pleading the Blues

[John L]

For Buddy Guy, I would start with the Chess recordings. There are some good one-disc best of collections floating around. There is also a complete 2-disc Chess collection, but it includes a lot of trite pop pieces along with the blues masterpieces.

Then I would get "A Man and His Blues," as recommended above.

For Gatemouth Brown, I would start with the early Peacock recordings. They are available in various forms on disc. Of his more recent work, I especially like "Gate Swings."

[kh1958]

A Man and the Blues is a nice collaboration of Otis Spann and Buddy Guy, but is pretty low key as far as Buddy's guitar is concerned.

His Chess recordings are okay, but not really among the finer recordings on Chess, for the most part. They simply did not let him play like he really plays.

I find it puzzling when someone prefers his early recordings--but this seems to be pretty common among blues fans.

The CDs that he issued as a private bootleg series from Legends two or three years ago contain some of the actual best Buddy Guy recordings.

[Hot Ptah]

A second vote for "Stone Crazy" for Buddy Guy. This is the only album by him that I am aware of where he is consistently smokin'.

[medjuck]

I've probably taken Buddy Guy a bit for granted because I used to go dancing to him and Junior Wells at the El Mocambo in Toronto. One night my son was watching a tv show with Eric Clapton and various guitar players. When Buddy came on my son said "Forget Clapton-- This guy is amazing!"

[relyles]

Buddy Guy is very good on a 1963 Muddy Waters LP, Folk Singer

[CJ Shearn]

thanks so much everyone. As a side note I really dig the Santana at Montreux set too, the Buddy Guy set I watched last night and it was fantastic! For those who have said Santana can't play blues, well thats a load of crap, sure Parker and Guy smoke him on the jams at the end, but they all were having a ball!

[paul secor]

Coming to this a little late. I guess I'm of those "blues fans" - sorry kh1958 - but I recommend starting with Buddy Guy's Chess sides (there are some novelty items there, but also some very fine tracks). Then I'd try A Man and His Blues on Vanguard (somewhat low key but very intense) - both of these choices already recommended by others - just thought I'd join the chorus.

Also, check out his recordings for Artistic - pre-Chess. There were only four issued cuts, but there are also alternate takes floating around, if you're into that kind of thing.

As for Gatemouth, as others have said, go with the Peacock sides - available on Rounder and Classics. Dan Gould mentioned his Sings Louis Jordan record. It's one his better later recordings - the best I've heard.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Also, check out his recordings for Artistic - pre-Chess. There were only four issued cuts, but there are also alternate takes floating around, if you're into that kind of thing.

Aha! I didn't know there were alternative takes knocking around. I've only got the original takes issued on Red Lightnin' - with a paper cover glued onto the cardboard

MG

[Sundog]

You need this...

[Soul Stream]

I think it's pretty widely accepted that "A Man And The Blues" and his playing on Junior Well's "Hoodoo Man Blues" are his masterpieces in a nutshell. The stuff on Chess is definately what I'd go for next such as "The First Time I Met The Blues" which is about as raw and full of emotion as it gets.

[Sundog]

Late period Buddy gets no better than Sweet Tea.

A great batch of songs, and Buddy's playing is absolutely ferocious.

[John L]

A Man and the Blues is a nice collaboration of Otis Spann and Buddy Guy, but is pretty low key as far as Buddy's guitar is concerned.

His Chess recordings are okay, but not really among the finer recordings on Chess, for the most part. They simply did not let him play like he really plays.

I find it puzzling when someone prefers his early recordings--but this seems to be pretty common among blues fans.

The CDs that he issued as a private bootleg series from Legends two or three years ago contain some of the actual best Buddy Guy recordings.

I guess that it is a matter of taste. For my taste, Buddy Guy has a tendency to sometimes go a bit too over the top in his guitar playing. I find his work most enjoyable when he is loose, but still somewhat restrained and concentrating on putting across a blues song rather than dazzling an audience with fretboard gymnastics. I think that several of his Chess recordings are genuine masterpieces, and not just for the guitar playing.

[John L]

Also, check out his recordings for Artistic - pre-Chess. There were only four issued cuts, but there are also alternate takes floating around, if you're into that kind of thing.

"Sit and Cry (and Sing the Blues)" on Artistic is a beauty, maybe my single favorite Buddy song. (Otis Rush plays the guitar break on this one.) I am puzzled as to why virtually nobody covers it. Maybe the stakes were just set too high.

Edited April 25, 2007 by John L

[kh1958]

A Man and the Blues is a nice collaboration of Otis Spann and Buddy Guy, but is pretty low key as far as Buddy's guitar is concerned.

His Chess recordings are okay, but not really among the finer recordings on Chess, for the most part. They simply did not let him play like he really plays.

I find it puzzling when someone prefers his early recordings--but this seems to be pretty common among blues fans.

The CDs that he issued as a private bootleg series from Legends two or three years ago contain some of the actual best Buddy Guy recordings.

I guess that it is a matter of taste. For my taste, Buddy Guy has a tendency to sometimes go a bit too over the top in his guitar playing. I find his work most enjoyable when he is loose, but still somewhat restrained and concentrating on putting across a blues song rather than dazzling an audience with fretboard gymnastics. I think that several of his Chess recordings are genuine masterpieces, and not just for the guitar playing.

Sure, I prefer the unrestrained Buddy. It's not too over the top for me.

[Fer Urbina]

Remember that Gate had a lot of influences outside of blues, and I'd strongly recommend Sings Louis Jordan (Black & Blue) and two of his 1990s Verve albums, American Music, Texas Style, and Gate Swings. Those have the added bonus of some younger major league jazz artists helping out (Nicholas Payton and Wes Anderson).

Gatemouth's first album for Alligator is actually a compilation of material licensed from Black and Blue. "Pressure Cooker", IIRC it includes some Louis Jordan tracks. From allmusic

inexorably swinging set in France in 1973 with all-star backing by keyboardists Milt Buckner and Jay McShann, saxists Arnett Cobb and Hal Singer, among others

I very much like "Real Life" too, with a smoking "Take The A Train". And the original "Okie Dokie Stomp" (Peacock) is essential.

F

[PHILLYQ]

There's one on Verve by Gatemouth titled 'Gate Swings', with some standards and blues. It swings like crazy

[kenny weir]

One albums stands out, for me, as the all-time Guy classic.

Live - This Is Buddy Guy on vanguard.

More than blues - real James Brown showman stuff - but simply incredible