The most overlooked guitarist ever. Absolutely brilliant. Loved his style. Very unique.

I still listen to Roy all the time. I'm 70 years old been playing along time. Roy was a monster.

This MUSICIAN could flat out PLAY . No wah - wah or fuzz tone pedials . Pure tone and technique. ONE OF THE BEST ! HANDS DOWN !

I'm a guitarist myself and while watching the full video of this concert what stood out the most to me is the power of music to influence the moods of the audience. Try watching the full venue with the emphasis on the audience's reaction. It's POWERFUL !!!

What Rory Gallagher was to the Stratocaster, Roy was to the Telecaster....Masters of the Solid Bodies 🎸🎸🎸🎸

Best Telecaster player in my book. Thanks for taking the time to highlight him.

Roy was incredible. If I could only say I'd seen him play live. R.I.P. Mr. Roy Buchanan

He seemed like a an introvert with the world on his shoulders. A unique dude

Roy’s pick attack and pinch harmonics are so unique….and his volume swells

He played here in Nashville when I was a boy ! My Dad let me go to see him I was so lucky to meet him he told me to let the way I felt to come out of my tele ! He put banjo strings to keep it flexible he taught me to plug into the amp no boxes ! He seemed so sad the last time I say him he just stared into space ! I cried the day he died !

Omigosh!!! THANK YOU!! I had the best boyfriend in high school who took me to every concert that came to our city and bought me the best albums, ever! We saw Roy Buchanan in concert and his album remains one of my favorites!

Roy was truly amazing. The Messiah Will Come Again is still one of my favorite songs to this day. His demise is such a tragedy.

He wasn't just a above the average good guitar player. He was a phenomenon.

OMG!! You did a Roy Buchanan analysis video! Excellent research on an artist that is left out of the conversation almost universally. This performance showcases his virtuoso ability and playfulness. Undeniable talent. I make a point to listen to him at least once a month. Thank you for introducing him to so many. I think it's almost a crime not to have heard of him. Sadly, I never had the chance to see him live. Thanks Fil.

Jeff Beck's masterpiece album "Blow by Blow" is dediicated to Roy

He should be talked about more, his playing is absolutely out of this world.

This man is a house hero: apart from his stunning technique and bends, he was a superb chord man too. I saw him just once, in May 1973, at the ill-named Boobs Club In Bristol. I rang up this desperate place twice to make sure that it was THE Roy Buchanan. Think Fawlty Towers, Fil. It was standing only, but there were only a few there, so I could stand right at the front, two feet from him. I was amazed that he had a 63 Tele and just an AC 30. No anything else, a bit like Rory. I have to say that the music was mostly weak-kneed country and the band ok-ish, but RB took my head off. Even the most indifferent song, and there were plenty, sounded like opera when he got hold of them. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone play like that before or since: when he finished with “Sweet Dreams,” he took the top E from F# to A in one if the most perfect bends known to man. He talked a little at the end: very shy and didn’t like praise, especially in that festering shithole. But he did say that he used banjo strings on the top registers and he called me “Sir.” The man’s a compete hero. Any learner guitarist should be made to listen to RB to get some balance and style, as opposed to trying to play like Jon McLaughlin on day 2. His desperate end is a shame on all of us. Thanks Fil.

I saw Roy at least a dozen times. in the late 70's and early 80's he would come to a club here in Minnesota every May and October. The best guitarist I ever saw and the most soulful. When he would play the Messiah will come again or Sweet Dreams I and most of the audience would be weeping. His playing touched your soul!

During my time living in Darwin, Australia, as a kid, I had the privilege of witnessing a remarkable performance by Roy prior to his unfortunate passing. The atmosphere that evening was nothing short of electrifying.

I remember being a little kid..even before I played guitar, my dad had his first album on 8 track tape...when I heard it I said "who is this?"...he said "That's Roy Buchanan...he's one of the best guitarists in the world.."...I've been a fan ever since...cheers from Canada....

I've been listening to roy for decades, but never seen this footage before... Makes you doubly appreciate his genius.

Hi Fil. Your analysis' are so thorough, and interesting. I enjoy it. He was a great guitar player, and I agree an excellent blues singer. (RIP Roy and God bless.) Thanks Fil, I liked the video about the greatest unknown guitar player. 👍👍

Thanks so much for the video. Roy played like no one else.

I remember when I was a kid (I'm 69 now) and a local guitar teacher showed me how to get that "Pedal Steel" sound it was so simple that it blew me away. You just barre the B & E strings with your pinky then just bend the G string up from half a step down using the index, middle and ring fingers and bingo that "pedal steel" sound. A good teacher shows you those little string bending tricks and your whole musical world opens up for you.

Roy..smooth as butter..soul man. There's an exceptional 4 part documentary on KZfaq..Remembering Roy Buchanan..well worth watching. Thanks for analysis, Fil

FINALLY!! Roy Buchanan getting his just due! I've been waiting on this from you for quite a while Fil! Thank you! He WAS a master!

Glad Fil touched on Roy's death. To say it was disputed is putting it mildly. I'll never believe he killed himself.

Thanks for featuring Roy! Never knew he was so great! Will listen to more of his music now.

Okayyyy....now it is clear to me that Eddie van Halen no way was the first shredder. I am impressed to the level I feel like a child in kindergarten again who has a LOT to learn still. A healthy kind of inspiration it surely is.

Thank You!!! Rory has to be the most underated guitar player. Who ever played 6 strings! I was very lucky. I had a great talk with him before a concert in Boston. He told me learn the scales on the guitar. I was trying to become a guitar player at the time. Billy Price was his singer at the time. I went too high school with Billy. This was a great truibute!

A guitarist guitar player. A brilliant musician!!

Saw him live in '78 in a bar, still one of the best shows I have seen. My ears are still ringing.

So interesting! Every time the camera left Roy, I kept thinking, "Come back!"...but the audience shots were sweet, too. I wish it had been a split screen! Thanks for this one, LOTS of information to condense, seriously well done.

IMO Roy is without peer in how he played. Not saying better or worse than anyone else, just totally unique and keeps listeners in awe of what he was doing. So very enjoyable to listen to and observe his nonchalance alongside his mastery.

Lots of great players out there but, NOBODY played like Roy. He played and LIVED the blues. Thanks Phil. Great analysis as usual.

Best guitarist ever - you are not alone album I believe was brilliant

Nice to see how much knowledge you have of Roy's history.

Further proof that there are too many great players to put one guy ahead of all the top players. I love the sound of Roy Buchanan and his music will live on!

My favorite piece of guitar work by Roy is right here. Hello from New Hampshire 👋

I like that Roy never loses sight of the song itself...he and the piano/organist know how to seemingly dance together, each taking the lead. No competition, no over playing , just great tone

Roy has chops but he also has feeling in his music, you can't buy that no matter how long you practise.

This man was the favorite of the love of my life. And now I understand. Good Lord 👏👏👏 RIP Jim and Roy

I don't really understand why he never made it big, but I was 20 when he did this, and every time I see it again, I'm still amazed. What a guitarist. Your analysis is spot on, Mr. Phil.

Thanks for this, Roy still remains my all time favorite guitar player!

I worked at a theater where we booked him, either 1979 or '80. The theater was supposed to supply a Fender Twin and 2 SM58 mics, which, it just so happened I own (it's a silver-front with JBLs, and btw, another guy who used it and really liked it was Doc Watson,) Roy was a genius guitarist, but something of an idiot-savant. I can't really begin to describe what that night was like, but once Roy was on stage, he was absolutely mesmerizing, especially if you played electric guitar. I was the "talent liaison" for those shows, and at long last, at the end of one crazy-ass night, I saw Roy out the backdoor of the theater where his car was. The last thing he said to me was, "Kid, never sell that amp." When I went to roll it off the stage, everything was set on Ten.

He nailed it ...but such a tragic end that should never have happened ..

A very underrated player. Great video Fil!

Thanks as always for the musical history Fil...what an amazing player!! very sad ending to his life...😢✌❤🤘

This guy was in another world!!! “When a guitar plays the blues” fantastic album🤘🏻Such a short life so sad...

I remember his name, but it's long-forgotten. I was too young to really appreciate what I see/hear today. I don't think it takes an expert to realize that this guy had some serious top-level skills. Thanks for this video Fil. Very impressive. Rock!

My Gosh, what a master.😀😀😀And as always you are right on.

I am surprised he gets so little recognition. A unusual style of play. Very clean and tracks like I fall apart are beautiful. Left us far too soon.

Roy was a great,great guitarist who shunned the spotlight. I remember reading about Beck, Trower and other greats who would go out of their way to see him in clubs. I guess he had some personal demons." The Messiah will come again" will always be what he's best known for. He had a very unique style .

Somebody get that Telecaster some pain medication.

Oh my goodness 🎶🎶💙💙🎸words can’t exactly describe this awesomeness

Saw him in Sydney on a few tours and he blew away everyone’s perception of how a guitar can be played and sound. Unique is the right word.

He didn't use a pick....He used a dime! That 52 Telecaster made him a monster! He came on stage and said,"What do you want to hear?" Amazing!!!

I first heard of Roy when I was in Hawaii in 1976. An Army guy picked me up hitch hiking. He asked had I heard of him. He then played A Street Called Straight. It blew me away. Roy was a live performer, not really a studio musician, though he was a studio musician in the 50s. Great talent.

Absolutely love Roy ! Glad you did this one too ! :-)

One of my all time favorite live shows. Late 70's in Kansas City, Kansas. Sat close enough I could see the sweat drip off his nose. He was also very gracious with his stage time. There was a point when the keyboard player got in a groove and was absolutely killing it and Roy stepped out of the spot light, moved back by the drums and motioned for the band to bring down their volume and he let the keyboards roll. It was obvious to all, that solo was being created for the music fans who were there that night. When Roy Buchanan stepped back to the front of the stage he had a huge smile on his face that he wore for the rest of the show. He set the bar for concerts extremely high for me, after that every concert gets compared to The Great Roy Buchanan's performance.

We would go see him at small clubs on Sunset Blvd in L.A. Tele, guitar cord, Fender amp. That's all the equipment he used. He didn't smile or talk. Amp had a little buzz or hum. Roy dug into that guitar like a lion into prey. We would sit there in awe, not even touching our drinks. Best guitar player creative artist of his time. I miss him.

One of Roy's Teles was given to Danny Gatton, who gave it to Mike Stern. Mike for years has been a chops master supreme. He's managed to cross Joe Pass style bop with absolutely insane Buchanan tributes -- double bends, artificial harmonics and the like. And he does wonderful, elegant acoustic stuff as well. Just once before you die, folks, check Mike Stern. So Fil, get on it, son! MIKE STERN!

Another man who was/is criminally underrated. Ive been listening to these guys for years on cd/vinyl/spotify but only recently getting into these KZfaq videos and reviews. Great review again Fil. Great bit of background info and as always, great insight. I think Gary Moore's cover of his "The Messiah will come again" is absolutely incredible

I'm Drowning On Dry Land is my favorite song of his. Oh thank you so much for this.

Roy is hands down the very best in his time!

The torture of this guys sole came through his hands. There was a reason Jeff Beck dedicated “cause we ended as lovers” to him.

Cheers again...always great shows man...thanks...

Thanx Fil for this analysis. We used to go to the clubs in DC to listen to Roy and Danny Gatton. These guys made club life FUN. They would do a 40 minute set, take a break with the people in the club by picking a table or booth and would pay for a round of beer. They would set and chat with the audience, AMAZING. The would go back on stage do another 40 minute set, pick another table or booth for break. People could dance till their shoes fell off. Roy and Danny were quite "Witty" They would have people rolling on the floor laughing. True entertainers. God I miss those days. The nice thing was you could do a whole evening for 20 bucks. No thugs, no problems, just honest Fun.😃

I saw Roy Buchanan at the Paramount theater in Oakland around 75, 76...I believe he was born back east but was raised in a little town called pixley,ca...near Bakersfield.. .we had front row orchestra pit seats....the man was unbelievable....I believe he did sessions with merle haggard as well....by far his version of Hey Joe is by far the best ever.. .....Rory Gallagher and Roy Buchanan....my number 1 and 2 top guitar player's EVER!!!....THANKU FOR THE MEMORIES....RIP Brothers

Roy is one of the unsung heroes of the guitar. He was taken far too soon. RIP tortured soul.

Roy was in a league of his own a true guitar players player R.I.P

Great, great video. You had only to see him play once and you were a fan for life. RIP, Roy Buchanan.

In the modern scene, Jim Campilongo pays many homages to Roy, and is a great player in his own right.

Outstanding talent and so glad your presenting him to another generation! Thanks FIL👍👍👍

I loved seeing him live back in the day!

Well now I’m a. Roy Buchanan fan loved it Thanks Fil

Great work in analyzing one of music’s greatest stars. Roy’s work has rightfully earned him the nickname “master of the telecaster”. His album “Roy Buchanan” is a definite must have for a any serious musician and guitar fan. Rock on fil and keep them coming. Thx 👍

He was so under rated! I used to watch him on television when I was a teenager

I love these old videos of Roy..you have put together a great tribute to the master her mate . Well done I truly enjoyed watching this. So sad how Roy's life ended...possibly george flloyd style alas but we'll never know..what a loss.

Roy Buchanan was fantastic to see and hear...great loss

I remember watching this when it came out originally (I'm old). I recall thinking that I'd never seen anyone play like that before. Now, I realize I haven't seen anyone play like him since. What a shame that we lost him so early. It would have been amazing to see where he went from there. I also recall hearing people say that you NEVER went up against Roy in ANY playing challenge, by the time you were done and out of ideas, he was just getting started. A veritable font of guitar, this man. Thank God he did some recordings so we at least have that.

Jeff Beck, Albert Collins and Roy ! Masters of telecaster ! Thank you Fil !

It's the nonchalance that gets me. Brilliant!

I heard him first on radio early 80s, bought When a Guitar Plays the Blues as a cd in 85, read as much as I could about him. Became an admirer and was devastated about the news of his passing in 88. One of the masters of the Telecaster, up there with Danny Gatton and Albert Collins. Thank you for this video.

Who didnt want a telecaster after seeing the album cover on Loading Zone with the Tele just thrown on the bar. Great album. Great musician. Gone too soon

Spoke to him once and we discussed techniques which he obsessed with and I didn't. Eye opening discussion.

In the fall of 1975 within a month of each other I saw Leo Kottke solo at University of Kentucky in Lexington and Roy Buchanan at the University of Louisville. I was at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, which is why I was on hand to see them. The place I got to hear Buchanan was without any possible question the best I've ever had in my life, no question. The concert took place on a practice basketball court and the stage was set up only a couple of feet higher than the floor, and I managed to score a spot about 2 feet from the neck of Buchanan 's Tele. I have never in my life been able to see any good guitarist as well as I did Buchanan that night. He was pretty much at the peak of his playing and much of his repertoire was already established, like "Hey Joe" and "The Messiah Will Rise Again." The only odd note was that Roy was as doped up as I've ever seen a musician be. Maybe it was because he was so close to where I was standing. His eyes had no pupils, just these two black orbs. I had first heard of him a couple of years earlier, when a friend I had gone to high school in Little Rock tolld me about Dale Hawkins' unrecorded new band in West Memphis that had a lead guitarist he swore was the best he'd ever heard. That was Buchanan. A year or so later Buchanan had released his first couple of albums and GUITAR PLAYER had done a story on Buchanan alone the lines of "Greatest Guitar Player You've Never Heard of. " I was lucky a couple of days later to find his first two albums at a great record store in Little Rock on Asher Avenue (I found a Taste and two Rory Gallagher albums the same visit, meaning I was introduced to two of my all time guitarists at precisely the same moment; since neither got any radio play at all, I had no other way of hearing them, though theoretically I should have able to see Buchanan, who was based in West Memphis at the time, somewhere, in Hot Springs if not Little Rock, West Memphis, or Memphis. Anyway, hearing him in Louisville was thr fulfillment of a recent, though short-lived, dream. Anyway, it was a great concert, and unquestionably the one in which I was closest to a performer. I later saw Roy again, thus time in a small club in New Haven, Connecticut. Interestingly I heard but did not see Rory Gallagher play in that same club around 1978 or 1979. I had a carrel on around the fifth floor of Yale's Sterling Library, and you could hear the acts at Toad's. So I was sitting there reading when I suddenly heard what was obviously Rory cut into "Souped Up Ford." I almost cut out right there to see if I could get in, but (1) Toad's was tiny, seating around 300 people (believe it or not, but the Stones played a warm up gig there in 1980 or 1981 prior to the Tattoo You tour), and the odds that there any seats left was close to non-existence and (2) I was loving hearing Rory play where I was sitting. Ended up one of my all time musical experiences. Finally, while getting back to the subject of legendary Arkansas guitarists, about the time I bought those Buchanan and Gallagher albums in Little Rock, I was dating a girl from Texas at my undergraduate college of Ouachita Baptist University who was a gargantuan fan of Seals and Croft. I took her to see them play in Little Rock. I did not know it at the time, but their manager/guitarist was the best guitarist ever from Little Rock, the great Louie Shelton (a member of the Wrecking Crew, the guitarist Michael Nesmith was trying to mimic on episodes of the Monkees like on his legendary work on "Last Train to Clarksville", lead guitarist on Boz Scaggs best recordings, and session guitarist par excellence on recordings by the Jackson 5 [ think of the guitar on "One, Two, Three" - that's Louie weaving his magic around Michael's youthful warblings], and several of Lionel Ritchie's greatest hits. So I didn't know it at the time, but all at once I was discovering Roy Buchanan and Rory Gallagher and hearing my home town's greatest guitarist live all around the same time. Now, I have absolutely no memory of Louie Shelton playing live (just as I have no memory of hearing Les Paul live when I was three, but my mother swears I was there), but from what I can tell, Shelton routinely played for Seals and Croft at ordinary times, and it is impossible to imagine him not playing for them in his home town. Good times. And to completely fill things out, this must have been around the time I saw Emerson, Lake, and Palmer at the same venue. For a special encore, Keith played a raucous rendition of the Joe Sullivan jazz classic. Growing up Little Rock was a terrible place for live music. It had long been a place where many black bands and acts would not play (there was an extremely famous incident in 1961 when Duke Ellington canceled an appearance after being informed that his appearances would be segregated, meaning he'd do an all white performance followed by an All black one. It was one of several cancelations in the South that helped eventually to bring segregated concerts to an end. Also, there were a lot of daffy regulations forcing certain concerts to be alcohol or to enforce reserved seating and making sure people didn't stand during concerts. So the Stones refused to play Little Rock for decades, even though their long time manager was from Arkansas. It eventually got better, but is now bad again, with few good midsized venues remaining. Unless you want to hear ultra commercial country.

I was a Roy Buchanan fan for many years. I saw him live at the Exit In in Nashville. Such a good performance. Thank you for posting. ❤

I caught Roy at the Paramount in Seattle in the early seventies, then again near his last days in a small Seattle club with about 50 other Roy Buchanan fans. I am a lucky man.

One of the finest

Glad you featured Roy, his albums are amazing and I could listen to him play all day

I was 21 during this time. I never got to see him live but definitely had his albums. Best times!

As a player Roy always struck me as intensely focused and laid back at the same time.......just love the way he's all over the place here with his technique adding so many dimensions to his playing.....it's hard not to be awestruck. Gone way too soon and that suicide story has always been questionable.

I’m SO glad that you were able to do an analysis of this performance! It’s been on my wish list for quite awhile. You also dug out a lot of his background, which doesn’t leave me much to say, except for a couple of bits of trivia. According to my information, Roy was given tickets to see Hendrix but the way I understand it, that first time seeing Jimi was a disappointment for Roy, precisely because Jimi was using electronic effects to produce sounds that Roy had spent years perfecting methods of producing manually on his Tele. However, he was impressed by Hendrix’s playing and the two did become friends. When Hendrix passed on, Roy played Hendrix songs (especially “Hey, Joe,” for which Hendrix was known though I don’t believe he wrote it; I can’t recall who did; sorry). It was fortunate for Robertson that he did overlap with Roy in Ronnie’s Hawks in TO. Roy had the chance to pass on tips & tricks to Robbie before Hawkins fired Roy “for playing too many notes.” There’s some irony in that. Another excellent analysis, though the camera work in Austin seems to be designed to make analysis as difficult as possible. Some of those shot angles are flat out nonsensical!! Great job working with what you got! Peace. 😎🎶🎶 (Almost forgot: over time, Ronnie Hawkins’ Hawks evolved into The Band. Who could’ve seen that coming?)

fantastic the whole set is on youtube and its fabulous

Amazing player! I had the privilege of seeing him perform live in 1985 when he opened for the Grateful Dead in an outdoor concert at the Freeport Speedway in Freeport Maine. When he finished his set the crowd of Dead Heads called for more. I had heard his records before but nothing matched is live performances. Thanks for posting Fil.

In the DC area in the mid 70s you could often catch Roy playing at smaller venues. At the same time you could catch Danny Gatton who did the same. So you right up there with them. BTW, they did a similar documentary on Gatton too. He was also the greatest unknown guitarist.

Saw him several times, when he would get going everyone would shout out "play it Roy"

I got to see him live in '74 or '75, Waterberry Palace theater in CT. Great seats, blew me away.

I am a guy who came to age during the 1970s and Roy was a hero of mine, me and my friends because we were the only ones who knew of Roy Buchanan and his records. Got to sort of know the man later on in my life as we shared a working relationship with music and playing, touring and the whole World that was involved with all of that stuff. I always revered the man and his ability, his playing, and his knowledge was boundless. And his work would beat any gear crap gizmo you could come up with. A true Master was Roy Buchanan.