The minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.

I would sit on the street corners in my hometown of Indianola, Mississippi, and I would play. And, generally, I would start playing gospel songs.

I was a singing disc jockey who heard every type of music there was - and loved it all.

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.

I've said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice. Stevie [Ray Vaughan] missed on both counts, but I never noticed.

I would sit on the street corners in my hometown of Indianola, Mississippi, and I would play. And, generally, I would start playing gospel songs. People would come by on the street - you live in Time Square, you know how they do it - they would bunch up. And they would always compliment me on gospel tunes, but they would tip me when I played blues.