“Back in the ‘80s, I'd turn on MTV and see all the spandex bands like Cinderella and what have you. But then there was this guy named Robert Cray doing this song called Smokin‘ Gun, it was like he was from another planet. Who is this cool dude among all the hair metal?

“His career is made up of many, many beautiful songs. Beyond that, though, he's got a technique that is almost freakish. For example, take the song Time Makes Two - a normal human being just can’t play it. I swear, he has a six-fret stretch. The guy is ridiculous! Nobody talks about him either, which is a shame, because to me he’s the heir apparent to people like BB King and Buddy Guy.

“Strong Persuader is the big disc of his. A top-notch album all the way. I could do without some of the ’80s keyboards on it. Maybe one day somebody will do an alternate mix of it and push the guitar all the way up front and lose the keyboards. He deserves that much.”

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Liked this? Now check out Joe Bonamassa talks new album Black Rock: track-by-track

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