When Nikolus Guy was growing up, his grandfather was just “grandpa.”
Yes, he knew that grandpa played music and lived in a big house. But as he grew older, Nikolus started getting to know more about grandpa – blues legend Buddy Guy.
The Evergreen Park Community High School senior got to know much more about his grandpa last week thanks to a Black History Month project in which he and classmate Samantha Ricks interviewed the 87-year-old musician during a sold-out presentation Feb. 20 at the school’s Marshall Batho Auditorium.
The show started with a biographical documentary about Buddy, followed by the student-led question-and-answer session.
Ahead of the presentation, Nikolus did a deep dive researching his grandfather’s and found out more and more cool things about his grandfather.
“When I was younger, I didn’t know much about his impact. I didn’t fully understand it,” Nik Guy said. “But now, with this project, I did my research, and I can truly see his story – all the people he has worked with and the impact he had. It amazes me.”
Tuesday’s presentation might have been one of the longer conversations Nikolus has had with Buddy.
“He’s always been a quiet guy,” Nikolus said. “We would go see him over the holidays in my childhood days in Baton Rouge. He had an amazing lake house. I would hear people tell me amazing things about him there. It wasn’t a big deal to me at the time but now I can see what a big deal he is.”
Among his research findings, Nikolus was most impressed with a 2023 Rolling Stone magazine list in which Buddy was named the No. 27 greatest guitarist of all time.
“Wow, No. 27 of all time — that’s a real big deal,” Nikolus said. “My grandpa is a real big deal.”
At the presentation, Buddy Guy told some long stories about his career, a career that includes eight Grammy Awards, earning the National Medal of Arts Award and earning praise from Eric Capton, who has called Buddy “the best guitar player alive.”
Buddy Guy has been influential to many, but he said at the presentation that he has been influenced by several people that he has worked with.
“I could go until tomorrow with that,” he said. “I love all of them. I learned a lot listening to a horn player, a keyboard player, a violin player.
“Sometimes when you are trying to find that (the right sound), you can’t find that. But when you are looking for that, you find something else.”
Ben Nesler, head of the social studies and other departments at the school, was glad to be able to talk about a historic figure in music, but to actually have the man in the building as well.
“Out of all his contemporaries, all of the greats, he is still around,’ Nesler said. “The young kids don’t recognize or realize the connection from blues music to all American pop music. I wanted the young people to know that the music they listen to traces itself all the way back to this original music.”
Getting Buddy to appear at the school was years in the making. In an indirect way, Nikolus’s father and Buddy’s son, Greg Guy, got the ball rolling.
Greg is a member of the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.
“I had Nikolus in class two or three years ago and his last name was ‘Guy’ and it didn’t click with me,” Nesler said. “One day he wore a shirt with a blues player in front that said ‘Greg Guy.’
“I was like ‘who’s that?’ and he said, ‘that’s my dad.’ I asked him if he was related to Buddy and the said ‘yeah, that’s my grandpa.’’’
So, the idea was hatched.
Since Buddy is an Orland Park resident, didn’t have to travel far to get to Evergreen Park, but he still tours extensively. The last couple of years he was on the road throughout February and couldn’t make an appearance.
This year, Buddy is on a break from what’s been called his final tour, and that allowed him time for the Evergreen Park appearance.
The “Damn Right Farewell Tour” starts up again on April 2 in Columbus, Ohio and wraps up Sept. 5 in Highland, California. In between is a local stop Aug. 9 in Des Plaines. Greg will be with his father on the tour.
Nickolus said he wishes he could help in some way with that tour, but he’ll be busy finishing high school and picking out a college where he plans to study photography.
Nikolus said his favorite Buddy Guy song is “Mustang Sally,” but that has nothing to do with his high school mascot being the Mustangs.
“There are so many songs that he has done that I like,” Nikolus said. “But ‘Mustang Sally’ – I really love that song.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
