I grew up in Southern, New Jersey and I first saw Roy playing in a Club called Dick Lee’s near Camden, New Jersey. Roy was born on September 23, 1939 in Ozark, Arkansas and grew up in Pixley, California. Pixley is North of Bakersfield, California and Roy listened to a guitarist that played with Merle Haggard named Roy Nichols. Later during the early 60’s Roy played with a group called Bob Moore and the Temtations (The Temps). Roy was my biggest influence and I learned all that I could from him. He taught me about Volume Swells, Wah Wah with the Tone Control and most of all he taught me about “Tone and a Telecaster”. He helped me find my first 56′ Fender Telecaster and right away I knew my tone was different from his. He would let me play his 53′ Telecaster as we often sat talking about guitars.

We sat in a room in Dayton, Ohio in the early 70’s just after his release of his first album titled “Roy Buchanan” and we talked about the “penny” under the bridge saddle. Roy’s action was high and by raising the height screws on the middle bridge saddle made the sound thinner as the extended screws radiated the string vibration. By placing a penny under the middle saddle, the two height screws could be lowered giving the strings more thickness and sustain. For all you young blues players, you should try and find Roy’s early albums to listen too. The recordings I like best are when Roy was recording for Polydor Records. He was playing his 53′ Telecaster and playing what he liked to play.