BUDDY Knox doesn't just play the blues, he is the blues.
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When he's out in the countryside in his 'blues boom boom room' playing his watermelon-red guitar with the backing of his family, he's in his element.
"I feel it, I feel it more than anything else," he said.
"I'm a blues man, the real blues. We don't play and live something else, I live it, I play it, this is my life."
Blues seems to run in Buddy's blood. His father and grandfather lived it, and now it's something Buddy shares with the next generation of his family too.
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Buddy's son Teangi and his nephew Bareki form the backing band for the trio's Hats Off To Country set.
"I only play with my family, that's all I do, because they understand my music," he said.
"They're so talented, why would I want to go and play with someone else? And they're cheap!" he laughed.
Their blues set for the festival features Bareki on the drums and didgeridoo, Teangi on the bass guitar and Buddy sings and plays his special guitar - a 1967 Gibson 355 in watermelon red.
During other band sessions, Buddy's other kids often join in too.
And it all happens in the boom boom room, with this particular recording giving viewers a rare glimpse into where the magic happens.
"It's the only place I practice my own blues gig and the boys that are playing with me, they were there from the beginning as well," he said.
The beginning for Buddy was way back as a kid, when he started singing and playing. But his introduction to the boom boom room came later, in around 2007.
"The blues has always been there for me but the way to get it out to the people was when I came here," he said.
"When you're young, you play all different styles of music, but the blues was always underneath."
Buddy's instrumental expertise is legendary in the Tamworth area, and he's known for mentoring young Indigenous artists.
Buddy's played in all kinds of places - from Byron Bay to Memphis, USA. But, he believes this will be the first time he's played the Hats Off To Country festival with his own band.
"I'm excited to be a part of it, to have come out and do a set with the boys," he said.
Buddy, Teangi and Bareki's set is at 7pm on Saturday, via the Hats Off Facebook page.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
