BLUES RBOOM!

Is Buddy Guy our greatest living blues guitarist? As his 10th decade approaches, we meet the master for a frank talk about passing the torch, the importance of a sip of cognac and the advice he gave Jimi Hendrix

-  ANDREW DALY

Buddy Guy

THE RUMOR WAS that Buddy Guy planned to retire — and considering that he's pushing 90, no one would blame him — but it seems that, despite Guy's age, rumors of his retreat were, well, premature. Still, that doesn't mean he isn't feeling his age.

"I'm gonna tell you like I tell everybody else; if I tell you I'm doing all right, I'd be lying," Guy says. "When you get to this age, everything gets to be aching. But other than that, I guess I'm doing okay. If you live to my age, your muscles and everything else aches. I was told in my twenties, 'Wait till you get to my age,' so I knew it was coming if I hung around long enough. Still, people say, 'You don't have any gray hair, and you still look good!' I say, 'You need glasses!'" [Laughs]

Aches and pains aside, when it comes to playing live, Guy is an ageless wonder. With a few pre-show sips of cognac and his famous polka-dot Fender Strat slung over his shoulder, Guy runs circles around players half his age. But live shows aren't all that Guy has planned, as he dropped a new record, Ain't Done with the Blues, on his 89th birthday on July 30. Rather than be over-the-top excited about his 19th solo record, the first since 2022's The Blues Don't Lie, Guy shrugs with a been-here-before vibe.

"With the blues, I still think I'm doing good. I appreciate you all from my heart — and whatever you can do to help the blues."

You seem to be going strong. Do you ever consider retirement?

I thought about it, but all of my friends who I learned everything from - B.B. King, T-Bone Walker and those guys - used to tell me, "Just try and keep the blues alive. The blues are being ignored by big radio stations." Those guys wouldn't catch airtime, so I haven't stopped yet.

In recent years, you've had your son Greg playing guitar in your band. Was he a blues fan growing up?