Stevie Ray Vaughan

Interviewer: I read that you were inspired by the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan. Is that true?

JM: Absolutely. I still get a fire in my gut when I listen to it, when I talk about it. Being in the industry now, I meet people who've seen his shows, and you won't really see me any more wide eyed than when I hear about a Stevie Ray Vaughan show by proxy of someone else who was there. When I get on stage and I pick up a guitar, it's my reference. It's just the way I hold a guitar. It's everything from fighter pilot, western cowboy, to kung fu karate master all in one. It just really really appeals to me.

I discovered Hendrix by way of Stevie Ray Vaughan. I heard Stevie Ray do "Little Wing," and I started working my way backward to Hendrix. The first Hendrix record I bought was Axis: Bold As Love, because it had "Little Wing" on it. I remember staring at the album cover for hours. Then I remember spending months listening to Electric Ladyland, which was very creepy.