KPCC

Blues legend Buddy Guy with Airtalk's Larry Mantle.

Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Buddy Guy performs on stage during Day 2 of Bluesfest 2010 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm on April 2, 2010 in Byron Bay, Australia.

From a very early age, Buddy Guy knew he wanted to play music. His parents were sharecroppers in rural Louisiana and when they got electricity and bought a record player, his life-long passion was ignited.

The inspiration came in 1949 when he heard John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen.” He constructed all sorts of gadgets that resembled guitars until his father got him a weathered model with two strings for $4.35. It changed his life forever.

In his new book, “When I Left Home” Guy recounts his journey from rural poverty in Louisiana to the blues scene in Chicago. His career included gigs with the greats including B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan. His memoir chronicles his life lived through music, his hard-earned success and the proliferation of blues music throughout the world.

GUESTS

Buddy Guy, author (with David Ritz) of “When I Left Home: My Story” (Da Capo Press)