Slippin' In

Performer: Buddy Guy
Artist: Johnnie Johnson
Engineer: Eddie Kramer
Producer: Eddie Kramer
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Buddy Guy (vocals, guitar); David Grissom (electric & slide guitars); Scott Holt (guitar); Reese Wynans (piano, organ); Johnnie Johnson (piano); Tommy Shannon, Greg Rzab (bass); Chris Layton, Ray "Killer" Allison (drums); Suzanne Maso, Emily Maso, Monica Maso, Carey Reisz, Anne Markovich, Kelley Flynn, Hillary Faeta, Brian Moravec, Bill Potocki, Dave Komie, L. Daniel Roman, Rob Davis, Buffy Holt, Davin Reddington, JC Clements, Jason Blankenship, Annette McKee, Frank Blinkal, Jay Reil, Mike Homberger, Garrett Mudd, Buddy Guy Band, "Blind Willie" Lambchop, Lily Angela Maso (background vocals). SLIPPIN' IN won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Personnel: Buddy Guy (vocals, guitar, background vocals); David Grissom (guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar); Scott Holt (guitar); Reese Wynans (piano, organ, programming); Johnnie Johnson (piano); Chris Layton, Ray Allison (drums); Anne Markovich, Emily Maso, Crazy Dave Komie, Hillary Faeta, Carey Reisz, Frank Blinkal, Annette McKee, Bill Potofki, Brian Moravec, Mike Homberger, Lily Maso, Suzanne Maso, Jay Reil, Garrett Mudd, Blind Willie Lambchop, Rob Davis (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Eddie Kramer; Mike Krowiak; Brian Sperber. Recording information: Arlyn Studios, Austin, TX; Chicago recording Company. Photographer: Caroline Greyshock. Having made the obligatory star-studded blues albums with a generous sampling of his more famous children, Buddy Guy's record company apparently felt secure enough in the guitarist's new-found celebrity to trust him to carry an entire session on his own formidable shoulders. Certainly the elder bluesman's previous two albums were none too shabby. DAMNED RIGHT, I GOT THE BLUES was a best-selling media event, and FEELS LIKE RAIN won a Grammy for "Best Contemporary Blues Album," but SLIPPIN' IN ranks with the best work Guy's ever done. It focuses attention on Guy's soaring, over-driven guitar and quivering vocals. Guy's near-lunatic intensity on "Please Don't Drive Me Away" and Lowell Fulson's "Love Her With A Feeling" should prove instructive to young guitarists who seem to think Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn emerged full-blown from the foam. But Buddy Guy has too much range and sensitivity to simply up and go wild, as on a playful cover of "Shame, Shame, Shame" where he reprises the good time boogie of Jimmy Reed. On "7-11" his tone is sweet and caressing as he forgives (least way, he tries) his baby for going wild, while on his own "Cities Need Help," Guy patiently generates intensity as tender pleadings become bellowing gusts of frustration and rage. And on his poignant rendition of Charles Brown's "Trouble Blues," Guy and the legendary pianist Johnnie Johnson evoke a smoky blue aura of longing and regret.

Rolling Stone (12/29/94-1/12/95, p.181) - "...Buddy Guy proves unstoppable....Guitarists from Clapton to Van Halen have marvelled at Guy's Strat work...; if anything, his singing...is even more eloquent, fiery and fully human..." Entertainment Weekly (11/18/94, p.106) - "...Eric Clapton, listen up: Here's a way to play the blues in the '90s without shellacking the music with a thin coat of irony. Guy's go-for-the-throat versions of songs...showcase his slashing guitar and jagged vocals..." - Rating: A- Down Beat (12/94, p.52) - 4 Stars - Very Good - "...[SLIPPIN' IN] advances his reputation as one of the best--if not THE best--blues guitarists alive. With no two solos remotely similar, Guy flexes his muscle and torches this set, whether he's offering smoldering leads on the slow tunes or scorching licks on mid- and uptempo numbers..." Vibe (11/94, p.139) - "...Guy doesn't just play the blues, he preaches its gospel through the stinging sounds of his Stratocaster..." Musician (12/94, p.91) - "...[Buddy Guy's] soul-on-fire theatrics recall prime Hendrix...."Slippin' Out, Slippin' In" approaches brilliance, with Guy's fury and the party groove of Denise Lasalle's cheatin' tune meshing perfectly..." Living Blues (11-12/94, p.65) - "...Guy unleashes a genuine blues album--one that should please even those diehards who prize his 1960's Chess catalog over anything he's cut since..."

Eric Clapton once called Buddy Guy "the greatest blues guitarist ever." Guy, along with contemporary Magic Sam, took the sounds of Chicago blues of the 1950s and ratcheted them up a notch, in the process creating a new form of controlled blues mayhem. Born in Louisiana, he moved to Chicago as a young man in 1957 and served an apprenticeship with Chicago blues king Muddy Waters while getting his own solo career underway. Guy's frequent collaborations with harmonica player Junior Wells are among his best work.

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