Too Close To Heaven - A Retrospective Collection: 1957-1982

To a small circle of New York based blues and guitar enthusiasts in the early 1960s, Ian Buchanan was one of the greatest then-living masters of traditional blues.

Ian's teen years were devoted to collecting recordings of country blues and mastering guitar techniques by various black players of the '30s and '40s. He studied with Reverend Gary Davis for about five years, leading to a lasting and affectionate friendship, in which Davis laughingly referred to Ian as "his white son."

After a brief stint at NYU, Ian transferred to Antioch College in 1958, where his dramatic, complex playing and singing caught the interest of students and musicians at the forefront of the folk revival. He consolidated his mastery of tunes by a broad range of traditional artists, ranging from Lonnie Johnson to Big Bill Broonzy, and while at Antioch he taught guitar technique to fellow students John Hammond, Jr. and Jorma Kaukonen.

Buchanan's playing of country blues was his passion. His mastery transcended "authentic" and developed into a sound that was personal, unique and brilliant. But as remarkable as his playing and singing became, he remained an "artists artist", indifferent to self promotion and content to be the center of a small circle of friends and admirers. Reserved, in his style and singing in a "natural" voice, his guitar playing showed him to be somewhat ahead of his time. He would not hesitate to show and teach his finger picking technique to anyone with a serious interest. His voice changed in intensity and tone, as one can hear in his Home Recordings, after a serious fall in early 1970 that left him paraplegic for the last twelve years of his life.

Ian's developing genius can be appreciated on this retrospective collection, which includes virtually all of the known informal recordings as well as his contributions to The Blues Project, (EKS-7264), Pigmeat Blues Band- Whatever Happened to Ian Buchanan, (GRT 10013) and the recently released Gary Davis Style, (Inside Sounds CD508).

Ian Buchanan died in December, 1982.

See windingboy.com for set lists and more information.