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.
Further on Up the Road
Roy Buchanan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been working so hard,
Just came home from my job.
Looked down in my wallet,
Good God, I've been robbed.
All my hard-earned pay?
What am I going to do now?
I got my bills to pay.
You got me singin' the blues,
And I'm paying all my dues.
You got me singin' the blues,
Ain't got nothing to lose.
I got to tell you I got the blues down in my pockets.
People, what did I say?
Bills are gonna rob me tomorrow,
Why I need my ten dollars today.
Chorus
Ain't no way to get even
Because, you know what I mean,
Every time I make me some money
Somebody's going to take it from me.
Chorus
Chorus
The lyrics to Roy Buchanan's "Further On Up The Road" is a song about struggle and the hardships that come along with working hard to make a living. The song starts with the singer coming home from work only to find out that they've been robbed of their hard-earned money. The sense of desperation is palpable in the second stanza as the singer wonders where their money could be and what they're going to do with their bills to pay. The overall mood of the song is melancholy and is highlighted by Mary McCreary's soulful delivery.
The chorus provides a continuation of the theme of struggle in the song while also introducing a sense of resignation. The lyric "You got me singin' the blues, ain't got nothing to lose" tells us that the singer has accepted their situation and has nothing to lose by singing about it. In the third stanza, the singer talks about why they need their ten dollars today and how bills are going to rob them tomorrow. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus that summarizes the hardships of making ends meet and the inevitability of being taken advantage of.
Overall, the song is a poignant commentary on the difficulties of life and the struggles that come with trying to make a living. The bluesy and soulful delivery of Mary McCreary adds more depth to the song's theme, making it a memorable piece.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been working so hard,
I have been putting in a lot of effort into my work for a while now.
Just came home from my job.
I just returned home after a long day of working.
Looked down in my wallet,
I glanced inside my wallet.
Good God, I've been robbed.
Oh my goodness, my money has been stolen from me.
Now where can my money be,
I am wondering where my money could possibly be.
All my hard-earned pay?
This is referring to all the money I have worked hard to make.
What am I going to do now?
I am not sure what to do in this situation.
I got my bills to pay.
I need to pay my expenses despite my stolen money.
You got me singin' the blues,
I am feeling depressed and hopeless.
And I'm paying all my dues.
I am suffering the consequences of my actions and circumstances.
Ain't got nothing to lose.
There is nothing else that can be taken away from me.
I got to tell you I got the blues down in my pockets.
I have lost all my money and feel sad about it.
People, what did I say?
This is a rhetorical question; the singer is not expecting an answer.
Bills are gonna rob me tomorrow,
I will not have enough money to pay my bills tomorrow because it has been stolen.
Why I need my ten dollars today.
I need my ten dollars to survive and pay bills immediately.
Ain't no way to get even
There is no way I can recover the lost money.
Because, you know what I mean,
This is another rhetorical question, assuming the listener already knows what the singer is talking about.
Every time I make me some money
Every time I earn money through my work.
Somebody's going to take it from me.
Someone will always come and take my hard-earned money away from me.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON ROBEY, M VEASEY JOE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tom Krawczak
What a great pair of Roy and Billy, my favorite Roy tunes with Billy on vocals!
Groove Champion
best album ever made!
Pedro147
Lucky enough to have this on vinyl and it's a fantastic album
Gerry Mclean
Got this album and i really love it. Great show
marie ange Wahab
j'ai découvert Buchanan avec cet album, j'ai adoré !!
FRITZ DUERST
Simply the best Guitarr - PLayer . many thanks .!!
Jeff Kent
Simply the best electric guitar player...ever.
george wash
@Peter Short jimi topped ROY BUCHANAN ,,, well not to insult you but in your dreams maybe ?
Peter Short
@rheaume rube Jimi's NON hits (like ones you mentioned...) are where his genius shows...Listen to Machine Gun from Band of Gypsys as an immediate example of the SOUL he evoked with an unsurpassed sense of melody..
Btw, I LOVE Jeff Beck, BUT you missed one of the "unknown greats" : Rory Gallagher ....Cheers, my fellow gtr fan!
Peter Short
@rheaume rube EASILY topped him...I'm 67 n sat at Jimi's feet at Woodstock as 16 yr old..AND being huge fan, I've sat at Roy's feet in many small clubs...