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.
Roy’s Bluz
Roy Buchanan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Raise that.?)
Yeah, My soul laid down last friday
Yeah, But it rose again today
Yeah, My soul laid down last friday
Yeah, But it rose again today (by the way)
Yeah, I think I like life better
Yeah, I dreamed of heaven
Yeah, And I saw my baby there
I dreamed, I dreamed of heaven
Yeah, And I saw my baby there
You know she had real pretty eyes
Yeah, and she had long, black, wavy hair (I could almost touch it?)
Yeah if I go to hell
I'm gonna speak very highly of you
Yeah, woah, If I go to hell
I'm gonna speak very highly of you
(Thats what I'm gonna do right, now, lord, lord, lord?)
Cause you've done some things pretty mama
I don't believe that the devil would-a do (Hoo-Hoo *Laugh* ?)
Roy Buchanan's song "Roy's Bluz" is a deeply personal song about the struggles Roy has faced in his life, his search for meaning and redemption, and his love for someone he lost. The lyrics are simple but powerful, and they convey a sense of hope and optimism despite the hardships he has endured. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the piece, with Roy singing about the joy he feels when he hears music that speaks to him ("Yeah make me feel so good I think my nose gon' bleed"). This line is a metaphor for the intense emotional response he has to his own music and the music of others.
The rest of the song is split into two main verses, each of which describes a different experience Roy has had. The first verse is about his struggle with depression and his eventual triumph over it. He describes how his soul "laid down last Friday," meaning he was feeling incredibly low and disconnected from the world. However, he goes on to say that his soul "rose again today," suggesting that he has found a way to overcome his feelings of despair and find a reason to live again. He concludes the verse with the hopeful statement that he might even decide to stay in this world after all.
The second verse is about a dream Roy had where he saw his lost love in heaven. He describes the scene in detail, painting a picture of his beloved with "real pretty eyes" and "long, black, wavy hair." The verse ends with Roy expressing his affection for this person and promising to speak highly of them even if he ends up in hell. Overall, "Roy's Bluz" is a touching song that speaks to the universal human experience of pain, loss, and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, make me feel so good I think my nose gon' bleed
The music is so good that it makes me feel euphoric and ecstatic, almost to the point of a physical reaction.
Yeah, my soul laid down last Friday
Last Friday, I was feeling down and defeated, like my soul was heavy and weighed down with issues.
Yeah, but it rose again today
Today, I feel revitalized and motivated, like my soul has been reborn and revived.
Yeah, I think I like life better
In this moment, I am enjoying life more than I previously did, maybe because of the music or the positive vibes around me.
Ooh, I might even decide to stay
I am considering staying in this positive space, either emotionally or physically.
Yeah, I dreamed of heaven
I had a dream about a perfect, heavenly place.
Yeah, and I saw my baby there
In this dream, I saw my loved one in this heavenly place.
You know she had real pretty eyes
In the dream, I noticed how beautiful and captivating my loved one's eyes were.
Yeah, and she had long, black, wavy hair (I could almost touch it?)
I was so close to my loved one in the dream that I felt like I could touch her long, black, wavy hair.
Yeah if I go to hell, I'm gonna speak very highly of you
Even in a hypothetical bad situation like going to hell, I would still speak praises about you because of how you've impacted my life.
Cause you've done some things pretty mama
You've done things that have impressed me or made me feel grateful for having you in my life.
I don't believe that the devil would-a do (Hoo-Hoo *Laugh* ?)
You've done things so remarkable that even the evil, sinister devil wouldn't do them, expressed with a playful laugh.
Writer(s): Roy Buchanan
Contributed by Vivian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sebraca Beats
I've never heard anyone with this style of blues playing, very unique.
The Dark Lørd
He’s an amazing blues player but it’s not exactly unique, a lot of his playing is derived from Les Paul, Jeff Beck, among others, and with all the standard blues influences of course. But he’s definitely one of the greats! An unappreciated great
Rodney H
@Zachary Smith Uh you might want to go and do some reading Jose is correct that is exactly where blues came from, any group of people can claim it and that's exactly what they will be doing false claiming it. I am black and this man right here was a beast just listen to him bend those strings. I listen to this at least once a day and that is no lie.
Joshua Dowling
@Sebraca Beats Buddy, I hope not. Nobody sounds or plays like Roy. Was there an argument or question in there? I never compared him to any of those that you mentioned. I just said that he is one of my guitar heroes.
Sebraca Beats
@Joshua Dowling I'm not the biggest blues fan, but there's no way I'll confuse Roy's playing with BB King, SRV, Mike Bloomfield or any other blues player that I know. If you think all blues players have this same style of playing, you probably need to listen to music more carefully.
Joshua Dowling
@Sebraca Beats yeah. Every blues guitar player, ever.Start with that. Just saying.
Michael Ulbricht
Absolutely stunning! It's possible that you may run across a guitarist that's as good as Roy, but you'll never see one who's better.
Michael Ulbricht
@telecaster fanatic Look at the two posts above yours. I agree with you about Danny. Take care!
telecaster fanatic
Danny Gatton for one.
Michael Ulbricht
@Tommy Butler Yes, Danny's in the top tier. I still don't know how he could douse his Telecaster in beer, then dry the fretboard off with a towel, and still play clean & coherently? Sadly, both men would die before they turned 50; allegedly by their own hand. Take care and Peace!