Buddy Guy

This DVD was shot in 1996 at Buddy Guy's Legends, a club he owns in Chicago; a CD with one extra track was released at that time. That night Guy performed "My Time After Awhile," a song he recorded for Chess Records in 1964. As you watch, Guy's face reveals the knowledge that his time had finally arrived. Admired by fellow musicians and critics for his singing and guitar playing, and capable of incendiary live performances, Guy wasn't widely recognised until signing with Silvertone Records in the early '90s. There he recorded three back-to-back Grammy Award winning CDs and his future was bright this night. Pairing Guy with G.E. Smith and the SNL Band, he benefited from the big sound produced by the five-piece horn section and B-3. To sweeten things, the late Johnnie Johnson was added on acoustic piano. Guy's habit of starting songs and losing focus midway, often not finishing them, is curtailed by Smith, who led the band and let Guy do what he does best: sing and play guitar with great emotional force. The performance was shot with multiple cameras in a muted sepia tone featuring lots of close-ups. There are cutaway interviews with Guy that add to your understanding of this rather shy, soft-spoken man. The DVD's eight songs serve as a greatest hits package and a good introduction to Guy's contemporary blues oeuvre. (Silvertone/Sony BMG)