Listen to MacDougal Blues

Peter Buck was the guitarist for R.E.M., arguably the most important American rock band of the post-punk era. The big, jangly sound of Buck's Rickenbacker was one of R.E.M.'s signatures as they rose from cult status to mainstream acceptance, and his eclectic tastes and embrace of other stringed instruments (especially mandolin) was a major part of R.E.M.'s stylistic growth. Nearly as important as his guitar work was Buck's eagerness to champion other artists; he would take his favorite bands on the road as R.E.M.'s opening acts, talk them up in interviews, and produce and/or play on their recordings. After R.E.M. parted ways in 2011, Buck released some fine solo recordings but devoted most of his time to projects with others. He produced and accompanied Alejandro Escovedo, the Jayhawks, and John Wesley Harding, and recorded and toured with Filthy Friends, the Minus 5, the Baseball Project, and Arthur Buck.