Roy Buchanan
1939 - 1988
Roy Buchanan has long been considered one of the finest, yet criminally overlooked guitarists of the blues rock genre whose lyrical leads and use of harmonics would later influence such guitar greats as Jeff Beck, Robbie Robertson, ZZ Top
Born in Ozark, Arkansas, on September 23, 1939, Buchanan grew up in the small town of Pixley, California. His father was both a farmer and Pentecostal preacher, which would bring the youngster his first exposure to gospel music when his family would attend racially mixed revival meetings.
But it was when Buchanan came across late-night R&B radio shows that he became smitten by the blues, leading to Buchanan picking up the guitar at the age of seven.
First learning steel guitar, he switched to electric guitar by the age of 13, finding the instrument that would one day become his trademark: a Fender Telecaster. By 15, Buchanan knew he wanted to concentrate on music full-time and relocated to Los Angeles, which contained a thriving blues/R&B scene at the time.
Shortly after his arrival in L.A., Buchanan was taken under the wing by multi-talented bluesman Johnny Otis, before studying blues with such players as Jimmy Nolen (later with James Brown), Pete Lewis, and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. During the mid- to late '50s, Buchanan led his own rock band, the Heartbeats, which soon after began backing rockabilly great Dale ("Suzy Q") Hawkins.
American guitarist and blues musician
Buchanan worked as a sideman and as a solo artist
Two gold albums early in his career
Two solo albums that made it to the Billboard chart.
He never achieved stardom, but is considered a highly influential guitar player.
His death
According to his agent and others, Buchanan was doing well, having gained control of his drinking habit and playing again, when he was arrested for public intoxication after a domestic dispute.
He was found hanged from his own shirt in a jail cell on August 14, 1988, in the Fairfax County, Virginia, Jail. His cause of death was officially recorded as suicide, a finding disputed by Buchanan's friends and family.
Roy Buchanan is interred at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.