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).
