Some of the best advice I was given was that me doing a bad version of me is better than me doing a good version of someone else.

Don't try to be someone else. Be yourself.

Nowadays blues in particular has a wide, wide, wide, wide net of everything that's called blues. I think if somebody's coming to it in the last ten years or whatever, or even fifteen years, what their experience is what is called blues is different from mine. I have to expand my range of what's been called the blues. I think somebody who's new to it would have to go back and to see what is called blues now, where it came from. If that makes sense.

At home in the states, I think there's a tendency in the states to go for the latest, greatest thing. The latest, greatest is the latest greatest. I think when you're talking about France, England, things like that, they look for the history of an artist and they go back when it comes to music like this anyway. They will go back a little bit further. I think the United States is very knowledgeable and it's a good place to play.

When you are sitting in a room and somebody does something or says something and a thought comes, an idea or a melody - you have to just grab it while it's there because it will go away.

Maybe in my personal life, but as far as my career, I've been offered some humongous things in my career and didn't take them. I look back and think, oh man, well I'd have been well off monetarily wise, but artistic wise I don't know. I'd have to say, personally, in my personal life, yeah, but in my musical life, on twenty-twenty hindsight I would say just take the good with the bad.

Just immerse yourself in the culture of the music - it will open some doors for you.