Buddy Guy & Switchfoot join forces on fiery "Last Man Standing"

 Switchfoot and blues icon Buddy Guy unite for “Last Man Standing” 

– a gritty, soul-stirring anthem of survival

Stream “Last Man Standing” on all digital platforms HERE

Watch the visualizer HERE

GRAMMY Award-winning rock band Switchfoot has joined forces with blues legend Buddy Guy for a collaboration unlike anything they’ve done before. “Last Man Standing” is a blistering fusion of rock and blues, built on searing guitar work, commanding vocals, and an undeniable sense of grit. It’s a meeting of two musical forces—one a pioneering icon, the other a band unafraid to push boundaries. The track, now available alongside an official visualizer, is also released in Dolby Atmos, delivering an immersive listening experience across all digital platforms.

Produced by Switchfoot and Tom Hambridge, “Last Man Standing” strips the blues down to its rawest form, driven by the unmistakable interplay between Buddy Guy and Jon Foreman. Their fiery vocal and guitar exchange is anchored by Chad Butler’s driving drums, Tim Foreman’s steady bassline, and a groove that effortlessly bridges generations of rock and blues.

“Buddy Guy was the blues legend that taught me how to play the guitar,” shares Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman. “I remember watching him live as a teenager and being completely transformed. I wanted this song to be something worthy of the man who helped shape my musical journey. Buddy, thanks for joining our band for a tune. Bigger than that—thanks for teaching me how to play.”

A torchbearer of the Chicago blues sound, Buddy Guy is one of the last living links to the genre’s golden era. With a career spanning over seven decades, Guy has influenced guitar icons like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and eight-time GRAMMY winner, Guy continues to shape the future of blues while carrying its deep-rooted traditions.

“Last Man Standing” encapsulates that legacy—gritty, unrelenting, and steeped in lived experience. The lyrics paint a picture of survival and perseverance, delivered with the unmistakable conviction of two artists who understand the weight of time. “I’ve seen kings reduced to thieves, I’ve seen the writing on the wall. I’ve seen the great walls crumble, I’ve watched the nations fall.” The song reflects on life’s unpredictability and the resilience required to endure, culminating in the powerful refrain: “None of this is how I planned it, but I’m the last man standing.”

Producer and co-writer Tom Hambridge, known for his work with legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy himself, describes the song as a rare fusion of worlds. “Switchfoot and Buddy Guy together. Two of my favorites,” Hambridge shares. “We had a ball writing and recording this unique collaboration. I think the fun we had producing it shines through on the record.”

Celebrating over twenty years since their breakthrough album The Beautiful Letdown, Switchfoot has consistently pushed the boundaries of their sound, from alternative rock anthems to deeply introspective acoustic projects. Their latest creative ventures include reimagining The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version) [Deluxe Edition], a tribute to the album that launched them into the mainstream.

With over 10 million albums sold, a GRAMMY Award, and a global reputation for their emotionally charged performances, Switchfoot continues to evolve. “Last Man Standing” is a testament to their fearless approach—an unexpected but seamless fusion of their alt-rock roots with the soul of the blues.

Photo credit: Paul Natkin

Photo credit: Maggie Haas

ABOUT BUDDY GUY

At age 88, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received 8 GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 38 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #23 in its "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Though Buddy Guy will forever be associated with Chicago, his story actually begins in Louisiana. One of five children, he was born in 1936 to a sharecropper’s family and raised on a plantation in the small town of Lettsworth, located some 140 miles northwest of New Orleans. Buddy was just seven years old when he fashioned his first makeshift “guitar”—a two-string contraption attached to a piece of wood and secured with his mother’s hairpins.

In 1957, he took his guitar to Chicago, where he would permanently alter the direction of the instrument, first on numerous sessions for Chess Records playing alongside Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and the rest of the label’s legendary roster, and then on recordings of his own. His incendiary style left its mark on guitarists from Jimmy Page to John Mayer. “He was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people,” said Eric Clapton at Guy’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2005. “My course was set, and he was my pilot.”

Seven years later, July 2012 proved to be one of Buddy Guy’s most remarkable years ever. He was awarded the 2012 Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime contribution to American culture; earlier in the year, at a performance at the White House, he even persuaded President Obama to join him on a chorus of “Sweet Home Chicago.” Also in 2012, he published his long-awaited memoir, When I Left Home.

These many years later, Buddy Guy remains a genuine American treasure and one of the final surviving connections to an historic era in the country’s musical evolution.

ABOUT SWITCHFOOT

Switchfoot has sold over 10 million copies worldwide of their thirteen studio albums (including their 2003 triple-platinum breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown and 2009’s GRAMMY Award-winning Hello Hurricane), racked up a string of Alternative radio hit singles, and performed sold-out tours with over 5 million concert tickets sold in over 40 countries around the world. Through their unique blend of emotionally intelligent and uplifting brand of alternative rock, Switchfoot has earned a devoted and loyal global fan base.

Switchfoot has raised over $2 million dollars to aid kids in their community through their Bro-Am Foundation.

Switchfoot consists of Jon Foreman (vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Jerome Fontamillas (keys, guitar), and Chad Butler (drums).

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John & Yoko Ono Lennon's timeless global anthem, "Imagine," certified triple platinum in the U.S. ahead of John Lennon's Birthday this Saturday, October 9, 2021

Breaking news leading up to John Lennon's birthday tomorrow (Oct. 9)...Robert Kinsler

JOHN & YOKO ONO LENNON’S TIMELESS GLOBAL ANTHEM, “IMAGINE,” CERTIFIED TRIPLE PLATINUM IN THE U.S. AHEAD OF JOHN LENNON’S BIRTHDAY THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9TH

 

IMAGINE 50^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS CONTINUE THIS WEEKEND WITH IMAGINE PEACE TOWER LIGHTING IN ICELAND, GLOBAL LISTENING EVENT WITH TIM’S TWITTER LISTNING PARTY, DOLBY ATMOS RELEASE AND MORE

Los Angeles – October 8, 2021 – As John & Yoko Ono Lennon’s paean for peace, “Imagine,” continues to celebrate its 50^th anniversary, the iconic song has just been certified triple platinum by the RIAA for selling 3 million units in the U.S. The achievement comes on the eve of what would have been John’s 81^st birthday this Saturday, October 9^th.

 

“John and I were both artists and we were living together, so we inspired each other. The song ‘Imagine’ embodied what we believed together at the time. John and I met – he comes from the West and I come from the East – and still we are together. We have this oneness and ‘the whole world would eventually become one’ is the sense that we will all be very happy together. All these instructions are for people for how to spend eternity, because we have lots of time.”

– Yoko Ono Lennon

 

“We are thrilled to present this award to Yoko for John & Yoko Ono Lennon’s ‘Imagine.’ One of the most important and universally recognized songs in music, this historic achievement coincides as we celebrate the song and album’s 50th anniversary,” said Bruce Resnikoff, President & CEO of UMe. “‘Imagine’ remains a timeless global anthem, and John & Yoko’s message of peace is just as relevant today as when it was first written.”

 

In honor of Imagine’s golden anniversary and John Lennon’s birthday, Yoko Ono Lennon and the John Lennon Estate are celebrating the legendary songwriter, musician, and peace activist with a variety of events and releases throughout the weekend.

 

IMAGINE IN DOLBY ATMOS

Beginning today, the much-requested three-dimensional Dolby Atmos mixes from 2018’s acclaimed Imagine - The Ultimate Collection Box Set are now available to stream on Amazon Music, Apple Music and Tidal. Listen here: https://johnlennon.lnk.to/Imagine_The_Ultimate_Mixes

 

IMAGINE PEACE TOWER

On Saturday, October 9^th, the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavík, Iceland will be illuminated as it is annually at 1 pm PDT/4 pm EDT/9 pm BST/8pm Reykjavík, following a speech from the Mayor of Reykjavík, Dagur B. Eggertsson. The installation of the Imagine Peace Tower is a collaboration of Yoko Ono, Reykjavík City, Reykjavík Art Museum, Reykjavík City Museum and Reykjavík Energy. It has been illuminated in honor of John Lennon every year since it was installed by Yoko Ono in 2007. For more information and to watch the livestream visit imaginepeacetower.com

 

GLOBAL IMAGINE LISTENING PARTY

Also on John’s birthday, October 9th, following two hugely popular Listening Party Events for the Imagine film and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album, the John Lennon Estate and Tim’s Twitter Listening Party team up once again for a special fan-first Listening Party for Imagine – The Ultimate Mixes encouraging fans to tweet their tributes for John Lennon and the Imagine album with their own memories and memorabilia on his birthday while watching the livestream of the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER lighting up and listening to the album. For more information or to replay the previous Lennon listening parties visit TimsTwitterListeningParty.com. To participate, follow @johnlennon @yokoono @LISTENING_PARTY and @Tim_Burgess on Twitter and use the hashtags #IMAGINE50 and #TimsTwitterListeningParty to join in. All of the times for the event worldwide can be found here: https://bit.ly/TTLP-JL-ITUC

 

IMAGINE ON LIMITED EDITION DOUBLE WHITE VINYL

Last month, Capitol/UMe released a Limited Collector’s Edition pressing of Imagine as a double LP on white vinyl, featuring the acclaimed 2018 Ultimate Mixes, mixed by engineer Paul Hicks and overseen by Yoko Ono Lennon on LP1 and a host of outtakes on LP2. The unique, expanded edition, Imagine - The Ultimate Mixes & Out-takes, includes the original demo for “Imagine” alongside a host of outtakes that demonstrate the writing and recording process and showcase the evolution of the songs. Included are outtakes for nearly every song on the record including “Jealous Guy” (Take 9), “It’s So Hard” (Take 6), “Crippled Inside” (Take 3, Take 6), “Gimme Some Truth” (Take 4), “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die” (Take 25), “Oh My Love” (Take 6), “How Do You Sleep?” (Takes 1 & 2), and an early version of “Oh Yoko” taken from the Bed Peace rehearsal filmed in the Bahamas. The limited edition release is available to purchase now: https://johnlennon.lnk.to/Imagine-White-2LP

 

IMAGINE – THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION

The stunning Ultimate Mixes and Out-takes included on the vinyl were originally released in 2018 on the six-disc box set, Imagine – The Ultimate Collection. The Box Set of the historical, remixed and remastered 140-track collection, which was fully authorized by Yoko Ono Lennon (who oversaw the production and creative direction) offers a variety of listening experiences that are at once immersive and intimate, ranging from the Ultimate Mixes of the original album, which reveal whole new levels of sonic depth, definition and clarity to these timeless songs, to the Raw Studio Mixes that allow listeners to hear Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band’s original, unadorned performances, to enveloping 5.1 surround sound mixes, and a Quadrasonic Album Mix, presenting the original four speaker mix remastered in Quadrasonic sound for the first time in nearly fifty years. This ultimate Deep Listening experience, which features scores of previously unheard demos, rare out-takes and isolated track elements, also includes The Evolution Documentary, a unique track-by-track audio montage that details the journey of each song from demo to master recording via instructions, rehearsals, recordings, multitrack exploration and studio chatter.  The comprehensive nature of the full Imagine – The Ultimate Collection is the absolute best representation of a career artist working at the top of his creative game.

 

NEW IMAGINE MERCHANDISE

As part of the celebration, a new collection of Imagine merchandise has been released in the official store. To see the full collection, visit: store.johnlennon.com

 

THE JOHN LENNON ESTATE TEAMS UP WITH SONG EXPLODER

The John Lennon Estate and Song Exploder have teamed up for a special, first-of-its kind episode about John Lennon’s classic song, “God,” from his transformational and influential masterpiece, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Lennon’s first post-Beatles solo album, released in 1970. “God” was recorded on Lennon’s 30^th birthday, October 9^th, 1970, 51 years ago this week. Listen here: https://songexploder.net/john-lennon

 

“I’m a big fan of Song Exploder and the way Hrishi analyzes songwriting and recording using the multitracks and sessions and the creator's voice,” Sean Ono Lennon said. “The shows are always intelligent, well-researched and beautifully edited, so we felt comfortable and confident opening up the archive to them to tell the story of this important song’s creation. They’ve done an amazing job and I’m excited for everyone to hear this special episode.”

 

Song Exploder was given unprecedented access to the John Lennon Estate’s extensive archive of interviews as well as the master recording, multitracks, original demo, outtakes, studio chatter and more to explore the creation and evolution of “God.” The podcast, which typically features host and creator Hrishikesh Hirway asking an artist to take apart their song and tell the story of its creation as they put it back together piece by piece, was accomplished through a mix of archival interviews with John Lennon (vocals/guitar), Ringo Starr (drums) and Billy Preston (piano), and a newly recorded interview with Klaus Voormann (bass), bringing together everyone who played on the song. Much of Lennon’s interview is taken from his legendary Rolling Stone interview with Jann Wenner conducted on December 8, 1970, just days before John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was released. The episode also includes an archival interview clip from psychologist Arthur Janov, the founder of Primal Scream therapy, the intense and emotional psychotherapy that John Lennon and Yoko Ono practiced for months and which informs the artistic exorcism found on the album.  

 

“I'm so grateful to Yoko Ono, Sean Ono Lennon and the John Lennon Estate for inviting me to make this episode,” Hrishikesh Hirway said. “I'd never made a posthumous episode, but if there were ever a reason to try, John Lennon is it. It was a unique challenge to craft something that felt like the podcast, but the estate shared archival interview footage, and all the raw recordings from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. They had every take, every track, and the banter between takes – it was an incredible treasure trove to draw from. Most artists I talk to about songs they just made don't have that level of detail and organization.”

 

ABOUT JOHN LENNON

John Lennon is arguably the greatest songwriter of his generation. As a founder and leader of The Beatles and also as a solo artist, Lennon has won seven GRAMMY® Awards, including two Lifetime Achievement Awards, Five BRIT Awards including two Special Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music, 21 NME Awards, 15 Ivor Novellos and an Oscar (Academy Award). He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked Lennon in the Top 5 of the magazine's "100 Greatest Singers Of All Time" list. With a message as universal and pertinent today as it was when the album was created, Imagine secures John & Yoko’s collective place in cultural history.

 

ABOUT YOKO ONO

Yoko Ono is a multiple award-winning multimedia artist who constantly challenges the traditional boundaries of art. She is known for her ground-breaking conceptual and performance pieces, experimental films and music. She is especially renowned for her peace events and initiatives, first with husband John Lennon, including the Bed-Ins for Peace and WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) international billboard and poster campaigns, and more recently with her IMAGINE PEACE messaging and her tribute to Lennon, the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Iceland and constituent participatory Wish Trees throughout the world. She continues to work to preserve their legacy, including, among other projects, Strawberry Fields in Manhattan’s Central Park and the ‘Imagine There’s No Hunger’ campaign.

 

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