THE CROSSROADS Roy Buchanan

For this month's meeting down at the Crossroads, John Wheatcroft shows us 10 top techniques from the country-blues Telemaster himself

- John Wheatcroft

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.

この記事は Guitar Techniques の May 2023 版に掲載されています。

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この記事は Guitar Techniques の May 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

Start your free trial

すでに購読者です? サインイン