Edward "Little Buster" Forehand

Little Buster (September 28, 1942, Hereford,
North Carolina) was a celebrated artist in the soul and blues genres. He was born sighted, but developed glaucoma at age 3. By the time his vision was completely gone, he was fluent on six instruments, including the guitar.

He moved to Westbury, Long Island at age 16, and wasted no time making his mark. His first professional gig was at the Brooklyn Paramount, where he was a back-up guitarist for Alan Freed's Rock and Roll shows. He also became a regular at Long Island clubs.

In 1961, Buster composed his first original song "Looking For a Home" while living in Glen Cove. First recorded on Josie/Jubilee after winning a talent contest at Harlem's Apollo Theater in 1964, Buster released "Looking For a Home". He recorded a series of 45s there, including his biggest hit in 1968, Doc Pomus' "Young Boy Blues". Pomus was quoted as saying that Buster's overwhelming version of this song was the best rendition that he ever heard. Buster's last single with Josie was "City of Blues/Cry Me a River". His 45s and several new compositions were compiled for the 1970 LP, "Looking For a Home" that never came out until it was released by the English label Sequel in 1997.

Buster changed his focus, concentrating on the live blues with his band, The Soul Brothers, where they were legendary for bluesy rocking soul that took no prisoners, led by Buster's tremendous guitar playing and heart-rending vocals. Buster married his wife, Mary, in 1969.

In 1995, Buster committed his sound to vinyl once again with his Bullseye release, "Right On Time". This release brought him worldwide exposure, with a Handy Award nomination, and a runner-up award for "Living Blues" magazine's Critics' Award. His 2000 CD "Work Your Show" opened the door to mass media exposure via "CBS This Morning", "Late Night With Conan O'Brien", "The David Letterman Show", on Dan Aykroyd's "House of Blues Hour", international music festivals, and,perhaps most rewarding, articles in "Juke Blues Magazine", "Backyard Blues" and "20th Century Guitar" magazine.

In 2000, Buster began his own label with friends Steve Kleinberg and Ayanna Hobson, where he released his latest CD, "Little Buster and the Soul Brothers, Live Volume One". His band consisted of himself on guitar and vocals, Jerry Harshaw on sax, Frank Anstiss on drums, Alan Levy on bass and Robert Schlesinger on keyboards; they were renowned for their process of "Busterizing" the audience. As Andy Breslau said in the liner notes for "Right On Time", "Edward 'Little Buster' Forehand is a sublimely talented soul singer, a tough blues guitarist and a sure-handed songwriter with a knack for making rhythm and blues songs that evoke the classic 1960s sound. As one of New York's great undiscovered treasures, Buster has played the Long Island club circuit for over four decades."

In 2004, Little Buster suffered from a series of strokes. In May 2006, he died as a result of complications from those strokes, but his legacy lives on. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Long Island Blues Society in 2002 for his efforts on behalf of the music, for his "slow-burning soul ballads, fiery blues guitar workouts and heart-stopping vocals". He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.