Master guitarist, the late/great Roy Buchanan (Sept. 23, 1939 - Aug. 14, 1988) performs in Austin, Texas. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The Messiah Will Come Again"

There was a town
It was a strange little town they called the world
It was a lonely, lonely little town
'Till one day a Stranger appeared
Their hearts rejoiced
and this sad little town was happy again
But there were some that doubted
They disbelieved, so they mocked Him
And the Stranger He went away
and the said little town that was sad yesterday
It's a lot sadder today
I walked in a lot of places I never should have been
But I know that the Messiah,
He will come again...

-from the self titled 1972 album, "Roy Buchanan".

Roy Buchanan (Sept. 23, 1939 - Aug. 14, 1988) was an American guitarist and blues musician. A pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan was a sideman and solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career, and two later solo albums charting on the Billboard chart. Despite never having achieved stardom, he is still considered a highly influential guitar player. Ranked #57 on the Rolling Stone list "100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time," Guitar Player praised him as having one of the "50 Greatest Tones of all Time."

Buchanan's long-standing alcohol and substance abuse problems seemed to worsen with time, culminating on August 14, 1988, when Buchanan was arrested for public intoxication. Several hours later he was found hanging by his own shirt in his cell in the Fairfax County, Virginia Jail. According to Jerry Hentman, who was in a cell nearby Buchanan's, the Deputy Sheriff opened the door early in the morning and found Buchanan with the shirt around his neck.

His cause of death was officially recorded as suicide.

Buchanan's musical career took him from underground club gigs in the sixties and seventies to national television, gold record sales, and worldwide tours in the eighties with the likes of Lonnie Mack, the Allman Brothers, and Willie Nile. Even posthumously, he has the respect of many guitarists and a large number of fans; his work is said to "stretch the limits of the electric guitar," and he is praised for "his subtlety of tone and the breadth of his knowledge, from the blackest of blues to moaning R&B and clean, concise, bone-deep rock 'n' roll." In 2004, Guitar Player listed his version of "Sweet Dreams," from his debut album on Polydor, Roy Buchanan, as having one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time."

Jeff Beck dedicated his version of a Stevie Wonder composition, "Cause We've Ended As Lovers," to Buchanan, on his 1975 album Blow by Blow.

More bio info here:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:aiftxqq5ldfe