Best of Buddy

On Guy’s first release with Vanguard Records, he steps out from his creative constraints as a session player at Chess Records and delivers an all-time blues masterpiece. On the moody slow-burner “One Room Country Shack,” Guy and pianist Otis Spann are at their collaborative finest. B.B. King’s influence is evident, too, especially on “Sweet Little Angel,” an old blues standard popularized by King in 1956.

Often forgotten in favor of his impeccable guitar tone and frenetic solos is Guy’s exceptional voice, which can be both soothing and menacing. Here, the vocals are tender, controlled and distinct. This is timeless, stripped-down blues that showcases Guy’s singing and the musical bond he shared with Wells, a harp-wielding genius.

This is a polished and fully orchestrated record with plenty of horns and a more danceable R&B bent than some of the straightforward blues records he’s made since. Though he takes the lead vocal on only two tracks, this is easily some of his finest and most eclectic guitar work—a portrait of a man who belongs at center stage.

After dropping off the radar for much of the 1980s, Guy came back with this Grammy-winning album, featuring cameos from Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. Damn Right showed his talents were as sharp as ever and cemented his rightful place as the reigning “King of Chicago’s Electric Blues.”