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When I Left Home cover art

When I Left Home

By: David Ritz, Buddy Guy
Narrated by: Mirron Willis
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Publisher's Summary

According to Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and the late Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy is the greatest blues guitarist of all time. An enormous influence on these musicians as well as on Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck, he is the living embodiment of Chicago blues.

Guy’s epic story stands at the absolute nexus of modern blues. He came to Chicago from rural Louisiana in the fifties - the very moment when urban blues were electrifying our culture. He was a regular session player at Chess Records. Willie Dixon was his mentor. He was a sideman in the bands of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. He and Junior Wells formed a band of their own. In the sixties, he became a recording star in his own right.

When I Left Home tells Guy’s picaresque story in his own words, those of a storyteller who remembers everything, including blues masters in their prime and the exploding, evolving culture of music that happened all around him.

Buddy Guy was born in 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana. He is considered among the best blues guitarists alive today. He lives in Chicago.

©2012 Buddy Guy with David Ritz (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

“Buddy has never failed to amaze me first as an artist and secondly as a beautiful guy…Long may he give us his gift.” (Keith Richards)
“Buddy Guy was to me what Elvis was for others…[He] is by far and without a doubt the best guitar player alive.” (Eric Clapton)
“Guy is a vibrant and hilarious storyteller. With a natural ease and honesty, he captures the spirit of the age, the culture of violence in the clubs, and the personalities of his colleagues...Highly recommended for any fan of Guy and those interested in the history of blues music.” ( Library Journal)

What listeners say about When I Left Home

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Excellent

Interesting history about all my old blues favourites highly recommend a great story from a great man

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  • Overall
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Buddy Brilliant

Fantastic book for anyone that loves the blues and the cats that play it.

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he the man, my buddy

enjoyed, hearing the man and his life. not only an inspiration as a guitar player but as a person.

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Great oral history

A rare opportunity to feel the blues in Chicago and get an insight into times and places past. Also a great insight into the wild characters that created the music and the spirit that drove them.

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