I guess music, particularly the blues, is the only form of schizophrenia that has organised itself into being both legal and beneficial to society.

Since the age of 12, all my musical thinking has been influenced by Afro-American music.

The British feel of blues has been hard, rather than emotional. Far too much emphasis on 12 bar, too little attention to words, far too little originality.

When I reflect on how things have changed, I can't help but laugh.

If the same phrase in the same place created the right effect, I was perfectly prepared to use it every time. I wasn't worried that I wasn't improvising.

In those days, between the ages of 12 and 18 you meant nothing. You were the extra place at the side table if someone came to dinner. You were of no interest to anyone.

Blues and jazz pulled me away from what was left of my family.