Phil Guy (April 28, 1940 – August 20, 2008) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

guitarist. He was the younger brother of blues guitarist Buddy Guy. Phil and Buddy Guy were frequent collaborators and contribute both guitar and vocal performances on many of each other's albums.

Biography

Guy was born in

Lettsworth, Louisiana Lettsworth is an unincorporated community located in the extreme northern tip of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the east bank of the Atchafalaya River near its intersection with the Mississippi and Red rivers at the Ol ...

. He played with the

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

player Raful Neal for ten years in the

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

area. He then relocated to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1969, where he joined his brother's band, at the time when his brother was becoming known as an innovator in blues guitar. The brothers collaborated extensively with Junior Wells in the 1970s. Guy recorded a number of albums under his own name in the 1980s and 1990s, branching out into soul and funk. He can be seen in his self-described hippie phase in the film ''

Festival Express ''Festival Express'' is a 2003 documentary film about the 1970 train tour of the same name across Canada taken by some of North America's most popular rock bands, including the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, Flying Burrito B ...

'', in which the Guy band tours southern Canada by train in 1970 with the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

and the Band. Guy worked with

Maurice John Vaughn Maurice John Vaughn (born May 10, 1952) is an American blues musician from Chicago, Illinois, United States. He is a guitarist, saxophonist, keyboardist and singer. Biography Vaughn began playing professionally in 1968 as a saxophonist in Chicago ...

in 1979, notably converting him into a blues musician. Guy died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

on August 20, 2008, in Chicago Heights, Illinois, just a few months after diagnosis of the disease.

Discography

*''

The Red Hot Blues of Phil Guy ''The Red Hot Blues of Phil Guy'' is the first album by blues musician Phil Guy, recorded in March 1982 and released on JSP Records in that same year. Background and recordings Three months after they recorded ''DJ Play My Blues'' album for Buddy ...

'' ( JSP Records, 1982) *''

Bad Luck Boy ''Bad Luck Boy'' is the second album by blues musician Phil Guy, recorded in March 1982 and released on JSP Records in 1983. Background and recordings "Bad Luck Boy" was recorded at the same session, like Phil Guy’s previous album ''The Red ...

'' ( JSP Records, 1983) *''It's a Real Mutha Fucka'' (JSP, 1985) *''Tina Nu'' (JSP, 1989) *''Tough Guy'' (Red Lightnin', 1989) *''Born to Get Down'' (Splash (h), 1989) *''

All Star Chicago Blues Session ''All Star Chicago Blues Session'' is a compilation album by blues musician Phil Guy. It contains the full session that was recorded at the Soto Sound Studio in March 1982. Background and recordings Phil Guy and his brother Buddy Guy recorded ...

'' (JSP, 1994) *''Breaking Out on Top'' (JSP, 1995) *''Another Guy'' (Blues Special Records, 1997) *''Chicago's Hottest Guitars'', with

Lurrie Bell Lurrie Bell (born Lurrie C. Bell, December 13, 1958, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American blues guitarist and singer. His father was renowned blues harmonica player Carey Bell. Career Bell started playing guitar at the age of six ...

(Wolf Records, 1998) *''Say What You Mean'' (JSP, 2000) *''He's My Blues Brother'', with Buddy Guy (Black-Eyed Records, 2006)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guy, Phil 1940 births 2008 deaths People from Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana American blues guitarists American male guitarists Blues musicians from Louisiana Deaths from prostate cancer Deaths from cancer in Illinois 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Louisiana 20th-century American male musicians