Roy Buchanan - Hey Joe (Live From Austin TX)

There is so little professionally shot video footage of Roy Buchanan officially available, that this frustratingly short half-hour set is a major find for the late guitarist's devoted fan base. Recorded November 15, 1976 when he was 37, the Austin City Limits DVD doesn't add extra footage to what was originally telecast, and is one of the few ACL videos not to do so. There likely wasn't anything else salvageable, but these five tunes find the Telecaster master at his most potent. He doesn't wait to pull out his bag of tricks, such as playing leads with his left hand while drinking a beer with his right and using it over the fret fingerings to alter the sound of his guitar

In 1961 he released "Mule Train Stomp", his first single for Swan, featuring rich guitar tones. Buchanan's 1962 recording with drummer Bobby Gregg, nicknamed "Potato Peeler," first introduced the trademark Buchanan "pinch" harmonic. An effort to cash in on the British Invasion caught Buchanan with the British Walkers. In the mid-1960s, Buchanan settled down in the Washington, D.C., area, playing for Danny Denver's band for many years while acquiring a reputation as "...one of the very finest rock guitarists around. Jimi Hendrix would not take up the challenge of a 'pick-off' with Roy."

The facts behind that claim are that in March 1968 a photographer friend, John Gossage gave Buchanan tickets to a concert by the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Washington Hilton. "Buchanan was dismayed to find his own trademark sounds, like the wah-wah that he'd painstakingly produced with his hands and his Telecaster, created by electronic pedals. He could never attempt Hendrix's stage show, and this realization refocused him on his own quintessentially American roots-style guitar picking."

Gossage recalls how Roy was very impressed by the Hendrix 1967 debut album Are You Experienced?, which was why he made sure to give Roy a ticket to the early show at the Hilton. Gossage went backstage to take photos and tried to convince Jimi to go and see Roy at the Silver Dollar that night after the show, but Jimi seemed more interested in hanging out with the young lady who was backstage with him. Hendrix never showed up at the Silver Dollar, but Gossage did talk to Roy about seeing the Hilton show. That same night (as the Hilton show) Roy did several Hendrix numbers and "from that point on, had nothing but good things to say about Hendrix". He later released recordings of the Hendrix composition "If 6 Was 9" and the Hendrix hit "Hey Joe"

Lyrics

Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand? Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand? Alright. I'm goin down to shoot my old lady

You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man. I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man.

And that ain't too cool. (Ah-backing vocal on each line) Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot your woman down You shot her down now.

Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot you old lady down You shot her down to the ground. Yeah! Yes, I did, I shot her

You know I caught her messin' 'round Messin' 'round town. Uh, yes I did, I shot her You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town.

And I gave her the gun and I shot her! Alright (Ah! Hey Joe) Shoot her one more time again, baby!

Yeah. (Hey Joe!) Ah, dig it!

Ah! Ah! (Joe where you gonna go?) Oh, alright. Hey Joe, said now (Hey) uh, where you gonna run to now, where you gonna run to? Yeah. (where you gonna go?) Hey Joe, I said (Hey) where you goin' to run to now, where you, where you gonna go? (Joe!) Well, dig it! I'm goin' way down south, way down south (Hey) way down south to Mexico way! Alright! (Joe) I'm goin' way down south (Hey, Joe) way down where I can be free! (where you gonna...) Ain't no one gonna find me babe! (...go?) Ain't no hangman gonna (Hey, Joe) he ain't gonna put a rope around me! (Joe where you gonna.) You better belive it right now! (...go?) I gotta go now! Hey, hey, hey Joe (Hey Joe) you better run on down! (where you gonna...) Goodbye everybody. Ow! (...go?) Hey, hey Joe, what'd I say (Hey... Joe) run on down. (where you gonna go?

Songwriters: ROBERTS BILLY