Top Ten Best Buddy Guy Albums

Photo: Buddy Guy, The Top ten best Buddy Guy Albums

By Mike O’Cull

Buddy Guy is among the most celebrated blues musicians in history. He’s a living link to the 1950s glory years of Chicago blues, a guitarist of uncommon firepower, a wildly expressive vocalist, a multiple Grammy winner, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a mentor, an entrepreneur, and much more.

Guy has had the sort of career that blues dreams are made of. He’s been commercially successful, influenced the development of electric guitar playing, opened a club in Chicago that remains a pilgrimage site for blues fans from around the world, and recorded so much great music that his true impact is incalculable.

As such, picking out the top ten Buddy Guy albums of all time is a nearly impossible task. His older releases are standard bearers of the vintage Chicago style and his recent efforts are as much a part of the future of the blues as any young artist on the come-up trail. Guy transcended time long ago and his music will matter as long as there’s interest in the electric guitar and the Chicago blues.

Below, you’ll find our list of the top ten Buddy Guy albums of all time. These are the ones we never stop listening to, learning from, and being inspired by. If we skipped your favorite, let us know in the Comments Section. We can’t list them all here but we can show love for Buddy and every note he’s ever played in our hearts.

1 – Stone Crazy
If you need to understand why Guy is a legend, simply cue up this 1981 release and listen to the evidence. From the first notes of the opening track “I Smell A Rat,” Buddy is absolutely ferocious, righteous, and explosive on guitar and vocals. This was only his second release in a decade, as hard-core blues like this was mostly off of the popular radar in those days, and Guy sounds like he’s been holding a lot inside for a long time. This one blows us away every time.
Listen to Stone Crazy here!

2 – Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues
This 1991 effort was the beginning of Guy’s commercial comeback and put him on the path to the stature he holds today. It made the Billboard Top 200 and earned Buddy his first Grammy Award. Fellow guitarists Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler, and Eric Clapton lend a hand but the magic made here is Buddy’s doing all the way.
Listen to Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues here!

3 – Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Play The Blues
Guy and harmonica ace Junior Wells were one of the most commanding and consistent partnerships in the blues business for many years. This early 70s platter shows why. Both men were masters of their genre and their instruments and had a chemistry together that is seldom heard. Dr. John and Eric Clapton join in the fun but Buddy and Junior were always the best two-man show in town.
Listen to Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Play The Blues here!

4 – Sweet Tea
2001’s Sweet Tea is one of the most epic and compelling records of his career. This foray into Mississippi hill country blues leaves Guy’s normal Chicago sound behind for the hypnotic, down-tuned vibes of players like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. Listening to it is an experience like no other and it will linger in your mind forever.
Listen to Sweet Tea here!

5 – A Man & The Blues
Back in the 60s, Buddy was building his legend with records like this. His later successes in the 90s and beyond often overshadow his old-school releases but these were the tracks that influenced countless other guitarists including Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Vaughan’s cover of “Mary Had A Little Lamb” from this set became a fan favorite and regular part of his live show.
Listen to A Man & The Blues here!

6 – Slippin’ In
Dropped in 1994, Slippin’ In won Buddy another Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. It features an all-star cast of musicians that includes David Grissom, Reese Wynans, Johnnie Johnson, Tommy Shannon, and Chris Layton. It’s one of those albums that belongs in everyone’s record collection.
Listen to Slippin’ In here!

7 – Heavy Love
Besides sporting one of the coolest cover photos ever, Heavy Love shows us Buddy at the peak of his powers. The funky title track is worth the price of admission all by itself. Guy’s guitar work on the album is sublime and flammable and his vocals are positively drenched in soul.
Listen to Heavy Love here!

8 – Left My Blues In San Francisco
This was Guy’s debut album and it introduced the future star to the blues fans of 1967. It’s a stylistic mashup of soul, blues, pop, and R&B and the first chapter in his story as a solo artist. That, alone, makes it a must-hear set of music.
Listen to Left My Blues In San Francisco here!

9 – The Blues Don’t Lie
How can Guy’s latest not be one of his greatest? Guy is constantly evolving and pushing himself forward and this brand-new set plays like yet another career high water mark. Buddy sounds vital, fully alive, and ready to go for another hundred years. Guest appearances by Mavis Staples, Bobby Rush, Elvis Costello, and James Taylor also contribute to the record’s impact.
Listen to The Blues Don’t Lie here!

10 – The Blues Is Alive and Well
This fairly recent (2018) release is another barn-burner from The Great Man. Guy’s sheer power is difficult to match and never seems to falter no matter how long his career marches on. He exudes that amazing X-factor that can’t be bottled like all legendary musicians do and it’s present in abundance here. Guest spots by Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, and James Bay help add fuel to the fire and everyone involved sounds like they’re having the time of their lives.
Listen to The Blues Is Alive and Well here!