The guy was ranked 23rd in Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. His song “Stone Crazy” was ranked 78th in the Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time”. Clapton once described him as “the best guitar player alive”. In 1999, Guy wrote the book Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues, with Donald Wilcock. His autobiography, When I Left Home: My Story, was published in 2012.

The guy was born and raised in Lettsworth, Louisiana. His parents were sharecroppers and as a child, Guy would pick cotton for $2.50 per 100 pounds. He began learning to play the guitar using a two-string diddley bow he made. Later he was given a Harmony acoustic guitar which, decades later in Guy’s lengthy career, was donated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In the early 1950s, Guy began performing with bands in Baton Rouge. While living there, he worked as a custodian at Louisiana State University.

Soon after moving to Chicago on September 25, 1957, Guy fell under the influence of Muddy Waters. In 1958, a competition with West Side guitarists Magic Sam and Otis Rush gave Guy a record contract. Soon afterward he recorded for Cobra Records. During his Cobra sessions, he teamed up with Ike Turner who helped him make his second record, “You Sure Can’t Do” / “This Is The End,” by backing him on guitar and composing the latter. After two releases from Cobra’s subsidiary, Artistic, Guy signed with Chess Records.