Blues legend Buddy Guy is the subject of a forthcoming documentary, Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away, set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film will be available to stream online beginning on June 13th.
Directed by Devin Amar, Charles Todd, and Matt Mitchener, The Blues Chase The Blues Away examines the history of the musician from his humble beginnings in Lettswork, LA through his trailblazing career in the Chicago blues circuit.
In addition to archival performance footage and interviews with the man himself, the film also features testimonials from the legions of guitar players Buddy has inspired throughout generations, including Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Gary Clark Jr., John Mayer, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and many more.
Related: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Appears On ‘PBS NewsHour’ For Performance, Profile [Watch]
“The blues turned my life upside down,” Buddy Guy says in a trailer for the film. “Had me going places and doing things that, when I look back, seems crazy. The blues turned me wild.”
A description of the documentary written by Brian Gordon reads,
Chicago blues great Buddy Guy never was the same after he heard John Lee Hooker’s seminal “Boogie Chillun’” while growing up in his rural stomping grounds of Lettswork, Louisiana. In 1957 he set out for the Windy City and its vibrant blues scene, where he played his way into the clubs, cut records, befriended and gigged with other greats (Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush), forged his skillful, intense, wild persona, hit the road, influenced new generations of musicians (Mick, Keith, Eric, Stevie Ray Vaughan), performed at the Obama White House and collected nine Grammys along the way. Supported by a sumptuous assemblage of performance footage, testimonials from those he’s inspired (including Clapton, Carlos Santana, Gary Clark Jr., and John Mayer) and some classic blues licks, Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away finds Guy (now a young 84) looking back at his life, providing valuable insight into his music while leaving room for some memorable anecdotes (ever heard about Muddy Waters’ salami sandwiches?). If he feels any responsibility as the last of the Chicago bluesman still with us, well he just takes it in stride and deservedly so.
Watch a trailer for Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away below and click here to purchase streaming access to the film beginning Sunday, June 13th at 2 p.m. The documentary will be available to view on-demand through June 23rd.
Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away (Trailer)
[Video: American Masters PBS]