Buddy Guy Gets Chicago Music Legend Award at Obama Presidential Center as the 90-Year-Old Blues Icon Keeps Touring, Recording, and Returning to His South Loop Club
CHICAGO, IL — Buddy Guy was celebrated with the Chicago Music Legend Award at the Obama Presidential Center’s Chicago Culture Ball this weekend, a nod to the guitarist’s outsized role in shaping the city’s sound and legacy.
The nine-time Grammy winner was honored Saturday night for the way his music has influenced generations of players while helping define Chicago’s identity as a blues capital.
From Louisiana to Chicago blues royalty
Guy, who turned 90 in July, arrived in Chicago in 1957 after leaving Louisiana with little more than his clothes and his guitar. Soon after, he connected with Muddy Waters and began building the career that would make him one of the city’s best-known musical figures.
He went on to play with blues greats including Waters and Howlin’ Wolf while working as a house guitarist for Chess Records. Later, he recorded with harmonica player Junior Wells and released several albums with him, according to the Kennedy Center.
A musician whose influence reached far beyond Chicago
Guy’s impact stretched well past the Midwest. Musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton have cited him as an influence, and Clapton joined B.B. King in inducting Guy into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
Even with major honors behind him, Guy has kept returning to Buddy Guy’s Legends, his club at 700 S. Wabash Ave. in the South Loop, where he has remained closely tied to the city’s live-music scene.
What comes next for the blues elder statesman
Guy also headlined the Chicago Blues Festival in 2024, released a new album for his 89th birthday last year, and has been back on tour this summer.
The latest honor adds another chapter to a career that has never really slowed down, even as Guy has moved deeper into his role as one of Chicago’s most enduring musical ambassadors.
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