The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.

Blues purists never cared for me. I don't worry about it. I think if it this way: When I made 'Three O' Clock Blues,' they were not there. The people out there made the tune. And blues purists just wrote about it. The people is who I'm trying to satisfy.

I tried to connect my singing voice to my guitar an' my guitar to my singing voice. Like the two was talking to one another.

The blues was like that problem child that you may have had in the family. You was a little bit ashamed to let anybody see him, but you loved him. You just didn't know how other people would take it.

The blues was bleeding the same blood as me.

I call myself a blues singer, but you ain't never heard me call myself a blues guitar man.

I don’t like to feel that I owe anything. I like to feel that I pay my own way, no free lunch.