Buddy Guy, Blues Legend, Celebrated at Sold-Out Radio City Music Hall Show
The two-month-past-90th-birthday blues icon was honored with a star-studded concert featuring a lineup of guest musicians.
Two months after celebrating his 90th birthday, blues icon Buddy Guy was honored with a sold-out show at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The three-hour-plus concert, titled "Buddy's Got the Blues," featured a house band led by Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan and a variety of guest musicians performing throughout the night. While Guy himself was on stage for only a portion of the show, his presence and spirit were felt throughout the performance.
Musicians like John Mayer, Eric Gales, Joe Bonamassa, Susan Tedeschi, and Derek Trucks performed, offering renditions of songs by artists such as Otis Redding, Jimmy Reed, and Junior Wells, alongside Guy's own blues standards. Guy joined Shemekia Copeland for a duet of "Rock Me Baby" and performed "I'm a King Bee" before a finale of "Got My Mojo Workin'" with all performers.
Guy, one of the last active Chicago bluesmen of his era, expressed his gratitude and surprise at the turnout. "I didn’t think this many people would be coming out for a 90 year old man," he said, visibly moved. "This is the greatest day I ever had in my life."
In addition to the concert, Guy's team announced the upcoming release of a new album next year. The album is set to be produced by Steve Jordan and will feature contributions from musicians who performed at the Radio City Music Hall show, including multi-instrumentalist Ivan Neville and bassist Willie Weeks.