Buddy Guy 90

Buddy Guy brings the pulse of Chicago blues to Toronto with a style shaped in the cotton fields of Louisiana and sharpened on the South Side since the late 1950s. A guitarist and singer known for cutting attacks, gritty distortion and sudden shifts between sparse phrases and biting runs, he forged his sound alongside Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Koko Taylor during sessions for Chess Records. That mix of Delta roots and electric swagger has defined his path ever since.

His repertoire draws on a long line of records and stages. From I Left My Blues in San Francisco and A Man and the Blues to Stone Crazy! and the breakout Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues, he blends standards and originals with detours into rock, soul and R&B. His partnership with harmonica player Junior Wells, sealed by Hoodoo Man Blues, anchored a conversational way of playing that still shapes his live sets. In recent years, albums like Sweet Tea, Living Proof and The Blues Is Alive and Well have kept his tone raw, direct and wide open to the moment. See him at Massey Hall, 178 Victoria Street, Toronto, on 16 July 2026.