Buddy Guy’s Humorous Encounter with Albert King: A Tale of Guitar Rivalry
In a memorable moment from the past, Buddy Guy found himself needing to reassure the legendary Albert King that he had no intention of copying his unique guitar techniques.
The two iconic blues musicians frequently shared the stage, and Guy reminisces about a particularly amusing incident during a soundcheck in Montreal. King, known for his fierce protection of his signature style, noticed Guy in the audience and promptly turned away from him.
“I didn’t collaborate much with Albert, but we often performed at the same events,” Guy recounted in an interview with Guitar Player. “I’ll always remember that one time in Montreal during his soundcheck.I was in the crowd, and he turned his back to me as soon as he spotted me.He said, ‘I’m not going to let you see a damn thing.’”
(Image credit: David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images)
“I had to explain to him,’Look,you’re left-handed. There’s no way I can take anything from you since I’m right-handed,’” Guy added.
King’s left-handedness was just one of the many unique aspects of his playing style. He famously played a right-handed guitar upside down, with the high E string on top, and often employed unconventional tunings.
“I had to tell him, ‘Man, you’re left-handed. I can’t take shit from you no way, because I’m right-handed.’”
– Buddy Guy
Despite his playful banter, King had valid reasons to be wary of Guy. The latter was known for his bold performances alongside guitar greats like Rory Gallagher, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Both musicians were celebrated for their aggressive string-bending techniques and their ability to slide into pentatonic scales. neither relied on a whammy bar, which may have led King to believe that Guy could potentially borrow some of his technical prowess.
Guy shared with Guitar Player that he once experimented with a whammy bar early in his career while recording at chess Records.
“I recorded a track at Chess using a whammy bar, but they weren’t ready for it. They said, ‘Nobody wants to hear that,’” he recalled.
“These days, I don’t use a whammy bar on my guitars. I stopped when I switched to lighter strings because they broke too easily, and I couldn’t afford to keep replacing them.”
(Image credit: R. Diamond/Getty Images)
Guy has never ventured into slide guitar, citing the precision required for the technique as incompatible with his dynamic, attention-grabbing style.
“When I came out, I didn’t ever think I was a good guitar player, so I was trying to make people pay attention. I got that from Guitar Slim.”
– Buddy Guy
“I always wanted to emulate Guitar Slim, but you can’t be wild and play slide. It requires precision.You have to focus on creating that tone, like Derek Trucks does,” he explained.
“When I started out, I never considered myself a great guitarist, so I aimed to capture people’s attention. That inspiration came from Guitar slim. I remember the first time I saw him perform.Initially, all I heard was the guitar, and then he entered through the front door playing. I turned to see he had a 150-foot-long cable. I thought,’That’s what I want to do.I want to be wild like Guitar Slim and have the wrist action of B.B. King.’ but who can really do that?”
Currently, guy is on his Buddy Guy 90 tour, which is set to run through September 2026. The tour features performances across the United States, with upcoming shows in cities such as Chicago, Atlantic City, nashville, and Denver.
