Roy Buchanan's (September 23, 1939 - August 14, 1988) musical career began … Read Full Bio ↴Roy Buchanan's (September 23, 1939 - August 14, 1988) musical career began in Pixley, California. His father was a sharecropper (not a Pentecostal preacher as Buchanan himself had claimed). Buchanan told how his first musical memories were of racially-mixed revival meetings his family would attend. "Gospel," he recalled, "that's how I first got into black music". He in fact drew upon many disparate influences while learning to play his instrument (although he later claimed his aptitude was derived from being "half-wolf"). He initially showed talent on the steel guitar before switching to the standard instrument in the early 50's.

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.

Caruso
Roy Buchanan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was goin' across Oklahoma, When i thought I'd fall in love
Met up with a girl named Thelma Took three months to get cured of

Made up my mind I was gonna get my self together, I was gonna straighten up
Made me some friends out Colorado, Till they found out i sold dope they
locked me up

You just name it and I, ve done it, By my self or whit a crowd

I didn't care what it cost me I feel lucky that I'm still around

Ain't gonna pull no hard luck stories, like some other people's done
I just did it cause I wanted to, to me, it was always kind of fun

I don't claim to be Caruso, and I, m not Number One
and if you don't like my singing', just put the needle on another song
just put the needle on another song

I don't claim to be Caruso, and I, m not Number One

and if you don't like my singing', just put the needle on another song
you hear.? Put the needle on another song

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Caruso" by Roy Buchanan are a reflection of the artist's experiences in love and life. It begins with him traveling through Oklahoma when he meets a woman named Thelma who he falls in love with, but it takes three months for him to get over her. He then decides to turn his life around and make new friends in Colorado, but when they find out he sold drugs, they lock him up. Despite all the hardships he's faced, he confesses to having done just about everything he's wanted to do, alone or with others. And no matter the cost, he's grateful to still be alive.

The chorus repeats twice, affirming that Roy Buchanan doesn't claim to be a famous tenor like Caruso or the number one artist, but encourages the listener to move on to another song if they don't like his singing. The lyrics suggest that he's not striving for fame or fortune; he's simply enjoying the music he's making, and he wants the listener to do the same.

Line by Line Meaning

I was goin' across Oklahoma, When i thought I'd fall in love
While traveling through Oklahoma, I had a fleeting thought of falling in love.

Met up with a girl named Thelma Took three months to get cured of
I met a girl named Thelma and it took me three months to get over her.

Made up my mind I was gonna get my self together, I was gonna straighten up
I decided to get my act together and become a better person.

Made me some friends out Colorado, Till they found out i sold dope they locked me up
I made friends in Colorado until they discovered I was selling drugs, which led to me being arrested.

You just name it and I, ve done it, By my self or whit a crowd
I have experienced everything you could name, whether alone or with others.

I didn't care what it cost me I feel lucky that I'm still around
I didn't care about the consequences of my actions, but I feel fortunate to still be alive.

Ain't gonna pull no hard luck stories, like some other people's done
I won't tell any tales of misfortune, like some people do.

I just did it cause I wanted to, to me, it was always kind of fun
I did what I wanted to do because it was enjoyable to me.

I don't claim to be Caruso, and I, m not Number One
I don't pretend to be a great singer like Caruso, nor am I the best.

and if you don't like my singing', just put the needle on another song
If you don't enjoy my singing, just play a different song instead.

just put the needle on another song
Switch to a different song if you don't like this one.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROY BUCHANAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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