Blues legend Buddy Guy performs at the Mahindra Blues Festival one last time

The morning before writing this piece this writer decided to listen to only Buddy Guy songs As strains of Feels like rain floated across the living room the last of Mumbairsquos winter already fading we felt a certain sense of calm take over one we have sorely needed the past monthAnd though we wouldnrsquot call ourselves a blues listener itrsquos hard to not recognise that the influence of blues and what Buddy does is all around usmdashbe it on artistes such as Eric Clapton who described Guy as ldquothe best guitar player aliverdquo Jimi Hendrix Keith Richards and most recently John Mayer who this writer canrsquot get enough of With eight Grammy awards and his Harmony acoustic guitar hanging in the Rock and Roll Hall of FamemdashBuddy who was born in 1936 in Louisianamdashis a legit living legendBuddy Guy 86 first performed in Mumbai in 2011 and will be performing for the last time today Pics CourtesyMahindra Blues FestivalMumbai has had the privilege of seeing him perform six times as part of the Mahindra Blues Festival His first was in 2011 and the last one will be tonight at Mehboob Studio Brian Tellis host of the festival says that there is no one as ldquorealrdquo as Buddy ldquoWhat stands out for me is that he is very encouraging of other talentsrdquo says the founder of the entertainment company Radioactive Ventures ldquoHe always gives a platform to younger musicians At one of the first times he played here he brought Milind Deora politicianmusic enthusiast on stage and gave him his own polkadotted guitar Once I was having dinner with him and had to scoot for a friendrsquos birthday my friend was a big Buddy fan I told Buddy that and he picked up my phone and called to wish him This is what I mean when I say he is a real guymdashhe knows his achievements but he doesnrsquot let them affect his relationships with normal peoplerdquoV Jairam founder of Hyperlink Brand Solutions and festival director says that the festival got a great endorsement once Buddy got on stage and told the audience ldquoThe blues live hererdquoBuddy has a habit of teasing and joking with the audience and fans swear that his jolly vibe is one that rubs off on every listenerldquoWe had not planned on programming him this yearrdquo Jairam continues ldquoBut then he called and said he wanted to start his farewell tour in Mumbai Who can say no to that The festival is sold out thanks to him There are no diminishing returns where Buddy is concernedrdquoJay Shah Vice President of Cultural Outreach Internal Communications Global Recruit Programme at Mahindra and Mahindra echoes the sentiment ldquoHe has been the patron saint of the eventmdashhe holds a Mahindra Blues Weekend at his club Legends in Chicago twice a year He is floored by the care and love he has got in IndiardquoV Jairam Director Mahindra Blues Festival and Subhash KamathThat could be because even when on stage far away from the average audience member Buddyrsquos light shines bright Photographer Meghanadan who photographed the blues man at the last offline festival in 2020 says that it was the first time he had seen him perform but was struck by the fact that his smile never left his face ldquoYou feel happy when you see him And he was so active no breaks just playing his guitar throwing up handkerchiefs and just having a good timerdquo Shah adds ldquoHe carries a unique childlike wonder even at 86 He is sassy and teases his audience He represents what we all havemdashthat inner childrdquoAs midday columnist and adman Rahul DaCunha reinstates ldquoBuddy is a phenomenal live playermdashhugely intense He is a great showman and audience pleaser with a rocking sense of humour which is why Bombay audiences love him and vice versardquoShowmanship aside as legends often do he has inspired many others to follow their dreams As a child growing up in Louisiana he would pick cotton and began learning to play the guitar using a selfmade twostring diddley bow Only later when he moved to Chicago did he come in contact with the likes of blues singer Muddy WatersHe has come a long way since then and has inspired many more to walk the talk Music director Ehsaan Noorani says ldquoThe greatest thing about Buddy is that he has had a huge influence on blues guitar and guitar in generalrdquo One such Buddy fan and somebody who may call him a mentor is Subhash Kamath The former CEO of BBH and Publicis India and now independent trainer and advisor Kamath is also a musician He even wrote a song inspired by Buddy ldquoBlues lyrics express pain hardships and heartbreakrdquo he says ldquoand even though I may not have gone through that I have connected with the genre thanks to musicians such as Buddy and Muddy Waters I have attended all his concerts in India and he is truly like one of his lyricsmdash74yearold young When he plays that guitar he is electrifying I once met him at a dinner and he asked me lsquoWhy is there so much hate Why canrsquot people just spread love and musicrsquordquoOur thoughts exactlyAlso ReadFrom Buddy Guy to Taj Mahal Mahindra Blues Festival returns to Mumbai this week