Sometimes I wonder if I got lulled into not wanting things because I grew up black in this country.

I was playing violin for a long time, about 6 years. It takes a while. You need very patient people in your house when you have a violin.

If you play jazz, then you play with your fingers. If you're playing rock, you use a pick. There's really no rhyme or reason to that other than that's just the way it has been.

Sometimes I wonder if I got lulled into not wanting things because I grew up black in this country.

I really worked with icons in the music business, which really had a strong effect on me. It wasn't just pick-up gigs.

James Brown is the reason I play guitar.

Serious musicians are finding it harder and harder to have a voice in the world of music these days.