Selwyn Birchwood

Selwyn Birchwood picked up a guitar when he was 13, just like a lot of teens. One day, he heard the music of Jimi Hendrix and it set his creative juices flowing. “I was so blown away by his creativity and had to know what would possess someone to write like that,” he said. “When you look back at his influences, there were lots of blues guys like Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy. Once I heard that, I found the sound and it set me off to play that way.”

As the young man’s proficiency grew, he learned about a nearby blues guitarist and band. The guitarist turned out to be legend art blues artist Sonny Rhodes, who was impressed with the 19-year-old. Within a month, Rhodes asked Birchwood to join him on the road. The transformational experience went a long way to shaping his view of music and his career.