Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy was playing what would later be called feedback and distortion before the technology existed to replicate it deliberately. His wild, physically aggressive approach to a Fender Stratocaster — running across the stage, playing behind his back, using the guitar as a percussive instrument — influenced Jimi Hendrix directly. Eric Clapton has called him the greatest guitarist alive. His polka-dot Stratocaster is one of the most recognizable guitars in blues history. He has been playing Chicago's Legends club since 1989 and continues to perform with a physicality that guitarists half his age cannot match.