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.
That Did It
Roy Buchanan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You said it was me and you
But I found out later
That it was others too
I didn't quit you, baby
I hung on like a vine
But when you said your love for me
Was all in my mind
That did it, baby
Lord, that did it, baby
Well, ain't no need in coming back
That's the end and that's that
Oh, you did it, baby
I work six days a week
In the rich folk's yard
Anybody can tell you
That kinda work is real hard
You know I didn't mind
Taking care of you
But I saw your other man
Wearing my brand new shoes
Oh, Lord, that did it, baby
Oh, that did it, baby
Well, there ain't no need of coming back
That's the end and that's that
Oh Lord, you did it, baby
You said we'd get married
In the early spring
I passed a pawn shop today
I peeked in and saw my ring
You say you needed the money
To pay your house rent
But I saw you sitting at that damn bar
Spending my last red cent
Oh, that did it, baby
Oh, that did it, baby
Well, I know you think you're slick
But you played your last trick
Oh, that did it, baby
Oh, that did it, baby
Oh, that did it, baby
Well, I know you think you're slick
But you played your last trick
Oh, that did it, baby
Roy Buchanan's song "That Did It" is a bluesy expression of a man who has had enough of his cheating girlfriend's lies and deceit. In the first verse, the man begins by recounting their earlier days, where his girlfriend painted a picture of being devoted to only him. However, as time passed, he discovered that she was seeing other men and was not as committed as she had claimed to be. Despite the revelation, he stayed with her, hoping to salvage the relationship, but she denied his love for her, which proved to be the last straw for him.
The second verse tells of the singer's struggles with working hard, possibly to provide for his girlfriend, but he was devastated when he saw another man wearing his shoes, which probably meant she was cheating again. The man was willing to take care of his girlfriend, but her infidelity was too much for him to bear. In the third verse, the girlfriend was caught lying about their engagement, where she claimed she needed to sell the ring to pay for the rent, but he discovered that she spent his money at the bar.
In the chorus, Buchanan belts out, "That did it, baby, Lord, that did it, baby," where he acknowledges the girlfriend's series of transgressions and expresses that he has had enough. The man declares that the relationship has come to an end, and he will not tolerate any more of her lies or treachery.
Line by Line Meaning
When we first met, baby
The time we met initially
You said it was me and you
You told me that we are the only ones
But I found out later
However, I discovered later
That it was others too
There were others too involved in this
I didn't quit you, baby
I did not leave you, my dear
I hung on like a vine
I clung to you dearly
But when you said your love for me
But, the moment you said that your love for me
Was all in my mind
Was only in my head
That did it, baby
That was enough to break my heart
Lord, that did it, baby
That completely shattered me, my dear
Well, ain't no need in coming back
There is no point in you coming back
That's the end and that's that
The relationship is over
Oh, you did it, baby
You were the one who caused it all
I work six days a week
I work for six days in a week
In the rich folk's yard
In the yard of the wealthy
Anybody can tell you
Anyone could say
That kinda work is real hard
That kind of work is very difficult
You know I didn't mind
I did not have any problems with it
Taking care of you
Caring for you
But I saw your other man
I noticed the other man in your life
Wearing my brand new shoes
Wearing the shoes that I bought new
Oh, Lord, that did it, baby
That was enough to break my heart, my dear
You said we'd get married
You promised that we will get married
In the early spring
During the beginning of spring
I passed a pawn shop today
Today, I went past a pawn shop
I peeked in and saw my ring
I looked inside and saw my ring there
You say you needed the money
You mentioned that you needed the money
To pay your house rent
To pay for your house rent
But I saw you sitting at that damn bar
But, I saw you drinking at that cursed bar
Spending my last red cent
Spending the last amount of money I had
Well, I know you think you're slick
I know you believe that you're smart
But you played your last trick
But, you played your final game
Oh, that did it, baby
That was enough to break my heart, my dear
Oh, that did it, baby
That completely shattered me, my dear
Well, I know you think you're slick
I know you believe that you're smart
But you played your last trick
But, you played your final game
Oh, that did it, baby
That was enough to break my heart, my dear
Writer(s): DON ROBEY
Contributed by Tyler O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.