I grew a love for helpless, defenseless things. People would give me lions and jaguars. I had cheetahs, monkeys.

People just loved the sound because I kept it simple.

I met Leo Fender, who is the guru of all amplifiers, and he gave me a Stratocaster. He became a second father to me.

Music is an attitude. It's a sensation to the average person, to the human being. And keep it simple, stupid. That's always been my theory.

I'll just tell you the way it is. You ask me what time it is and I'm gonna tell you how to build a clock.

My uncle gave me a trumpet, but I loved the Louis Armstrong sound and the Harry James sound and I played by ear and I played always soulful or very direct from the gut.

The kids called me King of the Surf Guitar. I surfed sunup to sundown.