Buddy Guy proved Thursday night that he is not only one of the greatest bluesmen around (just ask Eric Clapton), but also a consummate showman – one capable of keeping an audience enthralled and wondering what he will do next. Guy generated pure Blues electricity at the Stranahan Theater on Feb. 26  , unleashing fiery leads with his trademark polka dot Strat - playing behind his back one minute, using a drumstick as a bow the next, then playing with his teeth - all the while not missing a beat. 

Guy performed numbers from his latest Grammy-nominated cd, Skin Deep, as well as others from his deep, rich repertoire (he has won five Grammys).  At the time of this writing you can hear songs from his latest cd simply by surfing to his website, www.buddyguy.net.  Many of the Skin Deep songs were co-written by Guy and the talented producer, songwriter and performer, Tom Hambridge, who opened for Buddy at the Stranahan.  Hambridge gave a strong performance himself, providing his own percussion and accompanied by a great keyboardist whose name unfortunately I cannot find anywhere (he was truly fantastic and really deserves to be mentioned).

The 72-year old Guy exuded an energy that would have been the envy of a performer half his age.  A high point was when he disappeared from the stage to perform while mingling with the audience during one extended solo.  Reverend Guy was preaching the gospel of the Blues down in the crowd, surrounded by a throng of adoring apostles!

One thing that surprised me was how good Guy's voice sounded.  Guy's formidable rep is built around his guitar licks, but his voice is definately an important part of his performance.  This fact really comes out on his ballads, where guitar often takes a backseat.

  Guy maintains a heavy touring schedule - his next area appearance is April 25 in at the Tri-C Jazz Fest in Cleveland.