Blues legend Buddy Guy plans Israel shows as part of farewell tour

Blues virtuoso Buddy Guy is coming to Israel as part of his final tour, Damn Right Farewell, with shows this July in Caesarea and Tel Aviv.

The octogenarian guitarist will play the Caesarea amphitheater on Wednesday, July 19 and Tel Aviv’s Heichal Hatarbut auditorium on Thursday, July 20, with opening acts by American vocalist Tom Hambridge.

Guy’s five month tour begins in mid-February with shows in the US and he’ll continue performing around the world for the next five months.

The eight-time Grammy winner will focus on music from his 19th studio album, “The Blues Don’t Lie,” released last September.

Guy is ranked 23 in Rolling Stone’s list of 100 greatest guitar players, and described by Eric Clapton as the best guitar player alive.

He was born to sharecropper parents, and learned how to play the guitar using a homemade two-string diddley bow made from strings of baling wire pulled taut between two nails on a board and over a glass bottle, often used as a starter instrument in the Deep South.

Buddy Guy’s guitar playing was heavily influenced by blues musician Muddy Waters, and is often described as having extremes in sound, from bold loud tones to softer, slower rhythms, creating a unique type of blues experience.

Tickets are available at the Eventim site.