Buddy Guy June 1992

OK there's a story with this photo.  I retired in 1991.  Sometime the next spring I was reading one of the several blues magazines I subscribed to and saw the lineup for the 9th annual Chicago Blues Festival.  It was an amazing lineup.  Suddenly it dawned on me, heck, why not drive up and see that?  So I did.  I had several adventures on the way up and back which will be chronicled elsewhere.

I arrived in Chicago on Thursday night and got up early on Friday to head down to the fest.  I had never been to Chicago before and I knew it was not a car friendly city, so I wanted plenty of time to find a parking place and get to the festival for the start.  My plan was to look for something close to Buddy's Guy's club, Legends, so I could stop by there after the fest, then have a short walk to my truck.  All went as planned and I found a decent spot a few blocks from Legends, which was just a few more blocks away from the festival.

I was pretty early so I decided to wander around a bit to get the lay of the land.  I found Buddy's club with no problem, and just for grins I thought I would see if they were open. I think it was around 11 am.  I tried the door and sure enough it was unlocked.  I wandered into the dark inside and kind of asked aloud if they were open yet.  Buddy was sitting on a stool at the bar and said , "Sure, come on in!  My brother is up from Baton Rouge and he has a big pot of gumbo on the stove.  You want some?"  So my first day in Chicago and the first person I meet is Buddy Guy.  I had some of that excellent gumbo, we chatted a bit, then it was time to head over to Grant Park.  I asked Buddy if I could take a photo outside his club and he came outside with me, to make sure I knew what direction Grant Park was.  I asked if I could take his picture by the front door and he agreed.  So that's the story of this photo and it was the first I took in Chicago.

Thanks for the hospitality, Buddy, I will never forget it.