As any one genre progresses, it’s easy to lose sight of the folks that first helped to solidify the form. Countless players have been lost to time and only the lucky ones resurface later on either as a result of uncovered recordings or just dogged persistence.

Blues players have perhaps suffered the most in light of the genre’s longevity. Of course, the fact that a huge portion of the blues that existed in any worthwhile capacity was set to record prior to the ‘40s. And while that seems reductive since there’s been seventy years of recorded music since that time, what folks do now is update a codified sound.

There are some folks, though, that are so adept at that as to warrant a career renaissance or two. Buddy Guy didn’t ever really go away. He was there alongside some of the greats and went on to inform ‘60s musicians as much as any other performer.

Moving to Chicago after growing up in Louisiana, Guy was able to land in the big city during an auspicious moment in the blues and its progression from a country thing to an urban thing and then finally on to rock and roll. That can’t have been planned, but it was a fortuitous moment in time.

Upon his arrival, Guy pretty immediately made his presence known in live settings as well as in the studios. He performed with the brash blues cognoscenti of the time including Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Koko Taylor and a litany of other folks.

As a result of his prowess, Guy soon found himself recording for Cobra Records. And seeing as there aren’t too many folks that are familiar with that imprint, all should assume that it folded relatively quickly allowing the guitarist and song writer to move over to Chess Records. That move would find Guy working from ’61 to ’68 and recording sides with Chess that would define the further progression of the genre.

By the time that Guy issued his first proper long player in ’67 - I Left My Blues in San Francisco – after a slew of singles and compilations, the hippie thing was in full blossom. And most of the people that would make their mark on psychedelic music had in someway been taught by Guy’s licks over time.

Most notably, the British players aping the blues had a particular affinity for Guy. And while he wasn’t born on that side of the Atlantic, just lived there for a time, Jimi Hendrix heralded Guy’s playing as much as any other musician. Supposedly, even in his performance style, the younger player paid homage to the elder statesmen.

It’s actually rather easy to hear the direct linkage between Guy and Hendrix. While the later player is obviously known for his noisy guitar stylings, a listen to Guy’s solos during “I Got My Eyes on You” serves to bridge any perceived differences.

Guy’s still performing today and doesn’t appear to have lost too much of an edge. And even if you’re distracted by those polka dotted guitars or shirts, the music is pretty easy to focus on.