Sixty-three-year old Phil Guy may never eclipse his brother's renown, but he's no stranger to the blues and far from a slouch. He began his professional career on the burgeoning Baton Rouge blues scene circa 1959, and spent the ensuing decade playing with harpist extraordinaire Raful Neal (as did Buddy Guy for a time). In 1969, the younger Guy moved to the Windy City and adopted the Chicago sound as his own. Since then, he's played with his brother's band and backed such luminaries as harpist Junior Wells.
Guy's solo albums have never been all that well-received by critics (many of whom seem to want Phil to sound like Buddy, therefore missing out on Phil's funky hybrid sound), but his live sets have kept him a major attraction in Chicago circles.
He may be just the other Guy when it comes to stardom, but Phil Guy's got more than enough blues up his sleeve, and delivers the goods as if the shadow of his older brother didn't exist. Check out Guy's 2000 release Say What You Mean (JSP), then get ready for a true blue end to the wet winter months.
