By NATHAN SOLHEIM
The Red & Black

There aren’t many great blues legends around anymore, but Buddy Guy is here to tell you that it isn’t too late to see real blues.

"Twelve or 13 months ago, there was only a handful of us old blues musicians," Guy said. "Now that hand isn’t as full anymore and it’s real important that I get the word out."

Guy was also speaking of his latest album, "Heavy Love." Guy will be in Athens tonight as part of the House of Blues production "Highway 61."

The show, which will also feature the Blind Boys of Alabama, Clarence Fountain and Billy Boy Arnold, is a journey through blues history – from slave field chants to modern gospel.

Guy is often heralded as the greatest living blues guitarist, but Guy said he’s uncomfortable with that title.

"Caretaker of the blues is more like it," Guy said. "I just take what they taught me and keep adding to it." "They" referred to blues luminaries like Muddy Waters and Otis Rush.

What Guy has learned on the guitar, though, is something he said wasn’t really formal.

"I never got any real training on the guitar, you know," Guy said. "I just kept my eyes and ears open and tried to learn as much as I could whenever I heard someone who was onto something hot."

But Guy also said the blues is more than playing a lot of notes that sound good on the guitar.

"No matter how hot-s*** a guitarist you got bending the strings, the blues ain’t the blues unless you got real feeling behind the notes being played."