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I think that as you get older, you mellow out a lot more. Having been through the ups and downs in life, I feel more qualified to play the blues.

I'm an old soul. The blues, especially older blues, is the human element that kind of gives the music soul, and I think that maybe not enough people connect to the blues. It's a very powerful place to be; and if you can express that to an audience, I think that you can express a lot through that.

I believe that blues and jazz are the two uniquely American contributions into music.

Jazz is an art that takes decades to appreciate and understand.

As far as I'm concerned, blues and jazz are the great American contributions to music.

The blues are like the fugue in 18th century. It's probably the music that belongs most to our time.

My primary influences were the best jazz players from the 50's and 60's and later some of the pop people from the same time period along with the better of the well known blues musicians.

I liked the more sophisticated urban style of blues like Ray Charles and B. B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, Lou Rawls; people like that with more of a tendency toward jazz.

I feel like I've matured more musically than I have personally. But I totally embrace what becoming older has to offer. I find the wisdom that comes with each passing year is a trip.

We were either listening to jazz or Robert Johnson, the old blues man, but not to our peers.