After discovering some things I didn't like about the world of jazz musicians, primarily a musical elitism that assumes other styles are inferior and should be avoided, I got into punk rock--Sex Pistols, Ramones, Heartbreakers, Undertones--and later blues-Fabulous Thunderbirds, Slim Harpo, Muddy Waters, B. B. King--and old rock 'n' roll--Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, etc. In college, blues really became my thing. My hero was Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie's big brother. I saw blues as a mixture of rock 'n' roll--back beat, guitar oriented, vocals, palatable to the general public--and jazz--swinging, virtuosity, deep roots. Jimmie Vaughan was the man to me. The Fabulous Thunderbirds' first two albums were a manual for how a white boy could play blues guitar. I learned every note, and that ended up paying off, because it got me a gig with Rockett 88, a well known blues band in Delaware at the time.

Q: When did you make the switch to your famous guitar, the hollow body, 1969 Guild X500?

HE COULD PLAY LIKE CHARLIE PARKER
”I never really switched to it, I just always played it. I got it in high school from a guy who lived around the corner, Dave Strong--he plays in the Sixers' band and is still a good friend of mine. Dave was a hero of mine because he could play Charlie Parker on the guitar, which became what I wanted to do. It was in mint condition when I got it! It's half a breath from dead now!”