BINGO............we have a winner....
Buchanan's long-standing alcohol and substance abuse problems seemed to worsen with time, culminating on August 14th, 1988, when Buchanan was arrested for public intoxication. Several hours later Buchanan was found hanging by his own shirt in his cell in the Fairfax County Jail. According to Jerry Hentman who was in a cell nearby Roy's one, the Deputy Sheriff opened the door early in the morning and found Buchanan with the shirt around his neck [2].
His cause of death was officially recorded as suicide, a finding disputed by Buchanan's friends and family. One of his friends, Marc Fisher, reported seeing Roy's body with bruises on the head [2].
Roy's musical career took him from underground club gigs in the sixties and seventies to national television, gold record sales, and worldwide tours in the eighties with the likes of Lonnie Mack, the Allman Brothers, Willie Nile.
Even posthumously, he has the respect of many guitarists and a large number of fans, particularly for his unique sound. Buchanan was noted for the ability to get 'wah wah' and 'violin swell' effects from his Telecaster by use of the instrument's knobs and a plectrum. Finally, he was a pioneer in the use of pinch harmonics, and some of rock's most notable guitarists acknowledge Buchanan's mastery of the technique.
British guitar legend Jeff Beck dedicated his performance of a Stevie Wonder composition "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" to Buchanan on his 1975 landmark album Blow by Blow.
The 2006 Academy Award-winning Best Picture The Departed by Martin Scorsese ends with Buchanan's soulful instrumental treatment of the Don Gibson country music classic, "Sweet Dreams," as the credits begin to roll.
In 2007, French blues guitarist Fred Chapellier released a CD entitled Tribute to Roy Buchanan featuring a guest appearance by former Buchanan lead vocalist Billy Price.
