Roy Buchanan, "That's What I Am Here For" (Polydor, 1974)

As a college freshman way back when, I thought I knew about all the hot-shot rock guitarists.

"Oh, yeah?" my friend Sonny told me. "Well, listen to this!"

He cued up a record by a guitarist I'd never heard of, pictured on the album cover as an older-looking guy with a goatee. The song he cued up was Billy Roberts' "Hey Joe," based on the familiar Hendrix arrangement, with the tempo slowed down from Jimi's version. The sound of the guitar rang through: a shriek, a wail, a fleet-fingered arpeggio. The familiar tale followed of the man who shot his woman down, sung with a world-weariness that totally suited the subject matter.

Then the dynamics picked up in intensity, with the backing band wailing away ... until it faded down and out of the mix, leaving only the lead guitarist. And he proceeded to display some fretboard gymnastics that caused my young jaw to drop, before the band faded back in to wrap up the song.

That was my introduction to the late Roy Buchanan, known in his lifetime as one of the world's great guitarists, but one who managed to escape the attention of the public at large. That's a shame, and it's a point of interest considering the lyrics to the title track of his third album for Polydor: "I'm really not looking for fame/That's not what I am here for."

"That's What I Am Here For" long has been regarded at Roy's stab at mainstream fame, mixing his background in straight blues with some R&B and material that could be considered almost pop. As such, his blues-oriented fans weren't very happy with the release. But today, it stands as one of his most well-balanced efforts.

The lead singer for most of the tracks is Pittsburgher Billy Price, best known around here for his later work with the Keystone Rhythm Band. His soul-tinged voice serves as a good vehicle for the more R&B-based numbers, although it sometimes seems to be a bit buried in the mix. (Hint: This album is due for a remastering and a reissue, as it currently seems to be available nowhere.)

The backing band ably supports Roy, especially keyboardist Dick Heintze (a veteran of Buchanan's earlier band the Snakestretchers), whose piano features prominently in many of the album's key spots. He also wrote the upbeat "Voices," a brief but rollicking number of social commentary: "A lot of talking, but nothing's being said."

All that being said, the primary focus of the album, understandably, is Buchanan setting his vintage Fender Telecaster ablaze. He makes a pronouncement early: After ripping through the album's opener, "My Baby Says She's Gonna Leave Me," Roy tacks on a solo coda in which he's all over the strings in a remarkable display.

He sings lead on "Hey Joe" and on the album's one straight blues number, "Roy's Bluz." He punctuates his tale of a bad woman with a two-and-a-half minute guitar burst that has to be heard to be believed.

For the album's closer, he draws on a gospel theme to back the melancholy tones of his guitar on a composition called "Nephesh." (In the Kabbalah, the nephesh is one of the three parts of the human soul.)

Roy Buchanan long has been a revered figure among guitar enthusiasts, but he hadn't achieved his deserved measure of fame as of his death in 1988.

I'm just glad that Sonny set me straight about one of the top players I've ever heard.