“He’s My Blues Brother”, Phil Guy’s title track to his most recent album, blares through Buddy Guy’s Legends at various times of the day and night. The song explains his relationship with his older brother, Buddy Guy. “We are the real Blues brothers!” Phil exclaimed on stage before Buddy joined him in a duet this past January. So, it is with mourning and regret that we hear the news of Phil losing his battle with cancer and passing away on August 20, 2008. But to know that he will never stand on Legends’ stage with the club’s logo in the backdrop, or that fans listening to him will never boogie to the funky sounds screaming from his guitar, remains an even greater tragedy. His love of Blues remains his legacy. Besides being a Bluesman and brother, Phil was also a beloved husband, uncle, father, grandfather and friend.

Phil shares a similar bio as his older brother Buddy—both were born to sharecroppers, both experienced the trials of poverty, and both learned the guitar on their own. But Phil, born on April 28, 1940, would embark on a musical journey to the soul side of Blues. Phil followed Buddy to Chicago and joined his band in 1969 before going on his own venture.

The band, consisting of the brothers, would regularly perform at Theresa’s Lounge. Alongside his brother, Phil jammed with the likes of well-known musicians in tours across Europe, in Africa and in the United States. But it was in the 1990s when Phil went solo.

He formed his band—Phil Guy and The Chicago Machine—and delighted fans around the world. Influenced by the upbeat sounds of Jimmy Reed and James Brown, Phil recorded around ten albums and his music continues to be a testimony full of his life’s ambitions and accomplishments. The heavy guitar licks and overt bass lines allowed listeners to fully understand the era that was important to Phil. So, as Phil played, the people continued to dance.

His albums will continue to rotate through the sound system of Buddy Guy's Legends. But it will have a deeper significance when his name is mentioned while Buddy reminisces about Blues legends of the past during his own performances. Staff members of Legends will fondly remember his smile, curly, black hair and thick mustache. Phil will always be a part of the family. And to Legends he will always be known as “Uncle Phil”.

posted by A Pen Pal  # 1:51 PM 0 Comments

Raised on the Southside of Chicago, Charles Mack describes the bass guitar as “the final topping on the cake”. He has consistently played the bass for over thirty years. Mack remains an example of a growing number of bassists eager for the spotlight that has long eluded bass musicians. Bassists like Victor Wooten, John Norwood Fisher and others have become increasingly known for their talents on the bass. Mack’s eagerness and drive to be well-acquainted with his instrument and its versatility allows for him not to shy away from playing 4-, 5-, or 6-string basses. While other bassists may not opt for the higher registers given by more than 4 strings, Mack notes the relative comfort with switching between the 3 basses.

“The 6-string bass allows you to go outside of the box,” Mack says. “It’s more like a guitar.”

The 6-string bass came into popularity after bassist Anthony Jackson commissioned a luthier, a stringed instrument maker, to create the first 6-string bass. The tuning between the 6-string bass depends on the player. Mack tunes his strings to a “low B and a high C”. Some of his influences, like Larry Graham, Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke, tend to also play bass guitars with the ability to go beyond the traditional, lower registers.

“The 5- and 6- strings just give you more options,” Mack says. “The 6-string is out of the norm and it peeks the interest [of audiences].”

Mack still contends that the role of the bass player is to listen to everything, lay a groove, and not make the performance his show. He believes that “laying down the identity of the music” makes for good bass playing. Mack recently left James Cotton’s band to pursue other projects, but he also still freelances with bands on the Chicago Blues circuit.

Labels: 6 string basses, bass players, blues music, chicago blues

posted by A Pen Pal  # 12:33 PM 0 Comments