In 1957, Buchanan made his recording debut, playing the solo on Dale Hawkins' "My Babe" for Chicago's Chess Records. Three years later, Buchanan headed north to Canada, where he took charge of the guitar role in Ronnie Hawkins' band (a group later to gain fame as The Band). The group's guitar player, Robbie Robertson, studied guitar under Buchanan, and took over the lead guitar spot when Buchanan left the group.
The early 60's found Buchanan performing numerous gigs as a sideman with multiple rock bands, and cutting a number of sessions as guitarist with musicians such as Freddy Cannon and Merle Kilgore.
Buchanan's 1962 recording with drummer Bobby Gregg, "Potato Peeler", first introduced the trademark Buchanan pinch harmonics. An effort to cash in on the British Invasion caught Buchanan with The British Walkers. In the mid-'60's, Buchanan settled down in the Washington, DC area, playing as a sideman before starting his own groups. One of these groups was called The Snakestretchers, an allusion to Buchanan's disdain for the vagaries of the band experience. The Snakestretchers became a semi-permanent combo for Buchanan starting in this period, with whom he made his first acclaimed recording as a front man, Roy Buchanan & the Snakestretchers. Danny Gatton was another respected Telecaster master who lived in Washington, D.C. at that time. Both musicians gained reputations as under-appreciated guitarists.
In 1971, riding on word-of-mouth reputation that included praise from John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, and an alleged invitation to join the Rolling Stones, Buchanan gained national notoriety as the result of an hour-long Public broadcasting television documentary. Entitled "The Best Unknown Guitarist In The World", the show rejuvenated a contract with Polydor and began a decade of national and international touring. He recorded five albums for Polydor (one went gold) and three for Atlantic Records (one gold), while playing most major rock concert halls and festivals. Finally, Buchanan quit recording in 1981, vowing never to enter a studio again unless he could record his own music his own way.
Four years later, Buchanan was coaxed back into the studio by Alligator Records. His first album for Alligator, When a Guitar Plays The Blues, was released in the spring of 1985. It was the first time he was given total artistic freedom in the studio. It was also his first true blues album. Fans quickly responded, and the album entered Billboard's pop charts and remained on the charts for 13 weeks. Music critics, as well as fans, applauded Roy's efforts with favorable reviews.
His second Alligator LP, Dancing on the Edge, was released in the fall of 1986. The album, featuring three songs with special guest, rock'n'soul vocalist Delbert McClinton, won the College Media Journal Award for Best Blues Album of 1986.
He released the twelfth LP of his career and his third for Alligator, Hot Wires, in 1987. In addition to Donald Kinsey (formerly with Albert King and Bob Marley), keyboardist Stan Szelest, and Larry Exum (bass) and Morris Jennings (drums), this album includes guest vocals by veteran soul singer Johnny Sayles and blues singer Kanika Kress.
Buchanan died August 14, 1988 in the Fairfax County, Virginia jail while being held after an arrest for public drunkeness. His death was ruled a suicide, although that finding has been disputed by friends and family.
16. Sweet Dreams
Roy Buchanan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every night I go through
Why can't I forget you and start my life new
Instead of having sweet dreams about you?
You don't love me it's plain
I should have known I'd never wear your ring
I should hate you the whole night through
Instead of having sweet dreams about you
Why can't I forget the past
Start loving someone new
Instead of having sweet dreams about you?
Instead of having sweet dreams about you
The lyrics to Roy Buchanan's "Sweet Dreams" depict a person who is struggling to move on from a past relationship. The singer is haunted by their love and cannot seem to shake it off, as every night they are plagued by dreams of their past lover. The lyrics reveal a certain depth of pain, as the singer acknowledges that their feelings are unrequited, and yet, they are holding on desperately to their love. Even though they know deep down that they should move on, they cannot seem to forget their lover and start anew. Instead, they are consumed by dreams of what could have been, stuck in a painful limbo of love and remembrance.
One interesting aspect of the song is that the lyrics were actually written by Don Gibson, a country singer-songwriter who originally wrote the song for himself. It wasn't until Roy Buchanan covered the song that it became a blues classic. Additionally, the song has been covered by a variety of artists, from Emmylou Harris to Patsy Cline, each bringing their own unique interpretation to the song. The song has also been featured in several TV shows and movies, most notably in the film "Kalifornia" and in the TV series "Breaking Bad."
Another fascinating element of the song is the guitar playing by Roy Buchanan himself. A pioneer in the use of the Fender Telecaster and one of the most technically skilled guitarists of his time, Buchanan's solo on "Sweet Dreams" is a testament to his talent. The solo starts out slow and mournful, building to a crescendo of passion and intensity that perfectly reflects the emotion in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet dreams of you
I dream about you every night in a sweet way
Every night I go through
This happens every night consistently
Why can't I forget you and start my life new
I want to forget about you and begin my life anew, but I can't seem to do it
Instead of having sweet dreams about you?
I wish I could have dreams about something else rather than focusing on you
You don't love me it's plain
It's evident that you do not love me
I should have known I'd never wear your ring
I should have realized that I would never be able to marry you
I should hate you the whole night through
Instead of being sweetly obsessed with you, I should be angry at you all night
Instead of having sweet dreams about you
I want to forget about you and stop having pleasant dreams about you
Why can't I forget the past
I wish I could let go of the past and move on
Start loving someone new
I want to find someone new to love
Instead of having sweet dreams about you?
I want to stop dreaming about you and focus on someone else
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Don Gibson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike S
The legend .... the one the others came to learn from ... on road at 13 .... hendrix was a dissapointment to him ... Roy could do it all with no pedals before the rest .... RIP Roy ... taken far to soon ... thanx for the good times ....
altadena57
Fantastic sound quality, backing musicians, etc. and above all else - Roy's soulful singing guitar.
Curiouser and Curiouser
Great version! Well found that man!
santamara
Beautiful.!
Barry Rodriguez
Look Ma ! No pedals !