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After many years as a sideman/accompanist to the godfather of British Blues,
John Mayall, guitarist
Buddy Whittington stepped out on his own with a spring 2009 release on the Belgian Blues Boulevard label. But
Whittington didn't step completely out on his own, as he still accompanies
Mayall on his tours of the U.S., Canada, and Europe, more than 150 dates a year.
Whittington first met
Mayall in 1991 when
Mayall and his band were making a tour stop in Dallas-Fort Worth and
Whittington's band, the Sidemen, had the chance to open for
Mayall. Needless to say,
Mayall was mightily impressed with
Whittington's six-string skills and finesse, so when
Mayall's former guitarist,
Coco Montoya, left in 1993,
Mayall made one phone call and found his replacement.
Whittington began playing guitar as an eight-year-old after raiding his sister's record collection, which included the latest items by
the Beatles,
Rolling Stones, and
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with
Eric Clapton. After high school, he played the clubs in Dallas and Fort Worth regularly and became versatile enough to play anything from pure Texas swing styled after
Bob Wills or
Don Walser to rock & roll and the gutbucket classic R&B of
Bill Doggett.
But
Whittington's major passion remained the blues, and appropriately, after six years on the road with
Mayall, he finally released the aforementioned debut album,
Buddy Whittington, on Blues Boulevard in 2009. Aside from finding his own singing voice, he also found his songwriting voice, as well he should after touring all over the U.S., Europe, and Canada with
Mayall. He includes originals like "Young & Dumb," "Pay the Band," and "Stevie Rave On," the latter his tribute to the late
Stevie Ray Vaughan, who was killed in a tragic helicopter accident in the summer or 1990. His instrumental "Greenwood" pays homage to
Peter Green of
Fleetwood Mac fame, and he even dabbles in the somewhat risky area of humor-filled blues with his tune "Second Banana." As long as blues clubs and festivals remain healthy around the U.S.,
Whittington and his distinctive style of Texas roadhouse blues will always be in demand. ~ Richard J. Skelly