In the early 1970s, PBS Television in the USA showed an extended special entitled The World’s Greatest Unknown Guitarist. But this wasn’t strictly true; by 1971 Roy Buchanan had earned himself a reputation among the rock elite, reputedly being offered the position as Brian Jones’ successor in the Rolling Stones, at the peak of their career.
This documentary did however lead onto a recording contract with Polydor Records, going some way to redress Roy’s anonymity among the general public. Of the five albums he recorded for Polydor, and the three subsequent releases for Atlantic, two of these achieved gold status. However, Roy was never comfortable with purely commercial success, and loathed intervention from the record company. He wanted complete control over his music, leading to a period of recording inactivity starting in 1981.
Things were looking up when in 1985 Buchanan accepted a contract with Alligator Records, a deal that would give him the freedom he desired and lead to the classic releases When A Guitar Plays The Blues, and Hot Wires (1987). However, Buchanan’s personal life had its complications and tragedy was to strike in 1987, as Roy was found hanged in a police cell after being arrested for public intoxication. The official verdict was given as suicide.
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