it is my pleasure today to recognize Buddy Guy, who was recently honored here in Washington at the Kennedy Center for his contribution to the arts. George ``Buddy'' Guy was born in 1936 into a Louisiana sharecropper family. He first learned to play music on handmade instruments. With no money, Guy moved to Chicago in 1957 at the peak of the Chicago's blues era. A stranger introduced him at Chicago's 708 Club, where he eventually landed a steady gig. He also played at other local venues, and eventually he signed a record deal. Chicago connected Guy with legendary artists and allowed him to play guitar with blues greats like Muddy Watters and Howlin' Wolf. However, it was not until his 1991 release of ``Damn Right, I've Got the Blues'' that his career started making national headlines. The album earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Artist and five W.C. Handy awards. After that, the awards started streaming in. He earned 5 more Grammy Awards and 18 more W.C. Handy awards--more than any other artist. In 2003, he received the National Medal of Arts for his extraordinary contributions to the creation, growth, and support in the arts. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Billboard Magazine gave him the Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, and Rolling Stone ranked him at No. 23 on the list of 100 Greatest Guitarists.…
On the recordDecember 10, 2012
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