Who are your musical influences? Aretha Franklin, Howlin' Wolf, Black Sabbath, Fishbone, Louie Jordan

What was your first instrument? A $60 electric guitar from a department store at age 9 which I still have to this day. I play percussion now because I've had the pleasure of playing with so many great guitar players (Ira Mayfield, Automatic Slim, Linwood Taylor) and I think I would be embarassed to dare step on stage and play along side them.

Who is your favorite musician? Kirk Myers, the Nighthawks

Who is your favorite blues musician? Bobby Blue Bland

What is your favorite song? "No Class" by Motorhead

What is your favorite blues song? "Stormy Monday" by T-bone Walker

What has been your most memorable experience as a musician? This is personal and I hope it's ok with him- but I'd have to say singing at Ira Mayfield Jr's father's service. It was the most powerful musical experience of my life. Another one would have to be opening for James Brown and seeing the look on Ma Bell's face when she told me "I'm watching the man in music I've admired for all my days and my baby child has brought this opportunity to me. How do you think I feel?"

If you could play with any musician living or dead who would it be and why? Muddy Waters or Ozzy Osborne. They are both recognized as being 2 of the greatest voices in music- not because of their ability to hit pure notes but because of the character and emotion they bring to a song.

What venue have you always wanted to play? Constitution Hall in DC. It is the first place I saw BB King and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

What is your favorite quote? "There are two goals in life. The first is to greet the sun with the intention to be a better person than the day before. The second, never forget goal number one." KB

Do you have any hobbies other than music? Martial arts, weight lifting, professional wrestling (watching and participating), cartoons, running around the backyard in a diaper covered in spongebob stickers at 4:00 in the morning on Easter Sunday.

What is your favorite chord? I don't use chords, I prefer rope.

What is your favorite blues scale? "I don't know nothin' bout no notes!"

What is your favorite food? Pizza. Greatest friend and worst enemy.

What is your favorite holiday? Steak and *#&$^@* Day. (Just kidding!) 4th of July- it commemorates the work of our military and it's a time that we as citizens recognize their sacrifice. It also reminds we of a best friend from high school- James Hawkins- who was killed on the 4th of July- and to think of him.

What is your favorite TV show? The Flintstones- it was my first tattoo.

What is your favorite movie? "Duck Soup" by the Marx Brothers or "Blazzing Saddles" by Mel Brooks for their comic genius. They are able to walk many stereotype lines and keep it amusing but also make us take a look at ourselves both as individuals and as people.

Anything else you want your fans to know about you or the band? Most people don't know because we choose not to talk about it, but I'm very proud of the fact that the band has done an abundance of charity work over our 16 years of existence. Not only have we been able to recognize how blessed we are, but I recognize how blessed I am to have played for so many years with guys who feel the same way about doing this kind of work. They have never asked for recognition for this. I think it's a large part of the reason (in addition to our great fans!) that we've been around for 16 years.

Where were you born? Andrews Air Force Base

Who are your musical influences? Jackson 5, Chilites, Jimi Hendrix

What was your first instrument and why? The guitar, because I saw Hendrix on TV.

Who is your favorite blues musician? Muddy Waters

What is your favorite song? Machine Guns (Hendrix)

What has been your most memorable experience as a musician? Seeing Gatemouth Brown at the 8x10 with the KBB.

What venue have you always wanted to play? Nissan Pavillion

What's your favorite sports team? Redskins

Favorite quote? "You can't always get what you want".

Who are your musical influences?

My father was my first major musical influence. He’s a flautist and a percussionist. All of my choir directors from the time I was in middle school through college were very impactful as well. I’m a huge Stevie Wonder fan. I also love Marvin Gaye. The 90’s was a big influence on me. In R&B there was Boyz II Men, Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, 112, and Brian McKnight. As far as Hip Hop goes, Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Jay-Z, Outkast, Goodie Mob,, Blackstar, Fugees, Common, Wu-Tang, Snoop, Tupac, and Scarface to name a few.


What was your first instrument?

I always sang in church when I was young. Then I started playing trumpet around eight or nine. I played that for a few years until I really started to get serious as a vocalist in middle school.

What has been your most memorable experience as a musician?

I remember going to Connecticut with my friends Black Root, LOVE the poet, and J.Pope, also musicians, to play a festival at a college. I forget which one, but we did the festival during the day and then we headed back to the Buddhist house where we were staying. Yeah, a Buddhist house! It reminded me of a frat house but it was cool because when you walk in there’s a huge meditation room right in front of you. It’s a big empty room with pillows all over the floor but that’s where they practiced their religion and we respected it as their sanctuary. Well we were also scheduled to play a party later that night at the house. That started around 8 or 9. We jammed for a couple hrs and then everybody moved to the next room where we started a cipher. That cipher was amazing! We went back and forth for hours. When we finally stopped, the sun was up.

Do you have any hobbies other than music?

I like to play basketball, read, cook, write, and spending time with friends and family

What is your favorite movie?

Mo’ Better Blues, Bamboozled, Scarface, Sugar Hill, Dark Knight, Higher Learning, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, Menace II Society, and Boyz N The Hood.

What was your first instrument? I started playing the cello in 3rd grade. What I really wanted was to play guitar, but they didn't have guitar class in elementary school and that was the closest thing to a guitar in my mind. I played that for two years and then got a guitar in 6th grade.

Who is your favorite musician? John Coltrane

What is your favorite song? Born to Run

What has been your most memorable experience as a musician? I was at a bar in St. Louis with a couple of friends and in walks Billy Gibbons. One of the guys I was with kind of knew him and we ended up hanging out all night listening to him tell stories about being on the road and making ZZ top records. At one point I told him that a friend of mine told me that they had fake beards so he threw his hands up and said see for yourself. I tugged on his beard and it was definitely not fake. We tried to get him to sing karaoke, which he declined, but he was really cool and a lot of fun to hang out with.

If you could play with any musician living or dead who would it be and why? Jimi Hendrix- I think that he is the greatest guitar player that ever lived and I would love to steal a few licks from him.

What is your favorite food? Steak and mashed potatoes.

What is your favorite movie? Death to Smoochy

What was your first instrument/ Why did you decide to play what you play now?
My first instrument was the drums. In 1980 or 81, my parents bought my brother Will Dorsey Jr. and I a drum kit and a guitar for Christmas from the Sears catalog. Will gravitated towards the guitar and I on the drums. As time went on, I would see my brother on the drums more often, to the point where he wouldn't give me the chance to play. I will admit he was more of a natural than I was on that instrument. So after whining about not being able to play the drums for weeks, I decided to pick up his guitar. In retrospect, this was meant to be. We started up a band a couple of years later, which consisted of Will on drums, me on guitar and another guitarists (Doug Day)... that's it. No vocals or bass guitar. I eventually switched to the bass only because our sound was kind of flat and empty, and I couldn't convince Doug to switch over. Lol.

Favorite blues song? "Cold Shot" Stevie Ray Vaughn

What has been your most memorable experience as a musician (where you were playing)? I have a few, but what sticks out the most would be Performing at Pier 6 Pavilion in Baltimore with Jimmies Chicken Shack while on tour with Live. My brother Will also played on the same bill with his band, Laughing Colors. What really made it special was that our parents were in the audience, watching both of us perform, in the same evening. It was the first time they've seen us perform on the same stage for some 14 years. Plus it was their first time watching us us perform in a high profile setting. It was really cool to see them in the audience enjoying themselves; kind of like they did when we were in the talent show in elementary school.

If you could play with any musician living or dead who would it be and why? It would have to be Jimi Hendrix. I feel like we are kindred spirits to a degree.

Hobbies other than music? Creating 2d hand drawn animation. I find it to be very relaxing. Of course I havent completed one because of the amount of time it involves in making one. I will finish one before I die.

Favorite chord? I love the sound of suspended chords. In particular Bsus2 & Dsus2

Where are you from? Maryland City, Laurel, MD

Who are your musical influences? Too many to count but my long time private lesson teacher, Grant Menefee and my high school band teacher Randy Rumpf were the first to help me understand what it takes to be a true musician.

Favorite musician? Carter Beauford

Favorite blues song? "Busted" by Ray Charles

If you could play with any musician living or dead who would it be and why? Miles Davis. Because he is Miles Davis.

Favorite food? Bacon

Favorite TV show? The Simpsons

Hobbies other than music? Sports, grilling, and really anything that lets me be outside on a nice day with friends and a radio. These may also include but are not limited to bonfires, horseshoes, and wiffle ball.

What has been your most memorable experience as a musician (where you weren’t playing)? Watching Chick Corea, Roy Haynes, Kenny Garrett, and Christian McBride from 20 feet away at Newport Jazz Fest 2010. My buddy Tim and I only had general admission tickets but they would let you stand up front and watch the crew setting up the stage before the performance. Somehow we slipped through the cracks when they made everyone go back to the audience and we got to watch the entire set front row, center, with all the newspaper photographers.

Where are you from? Alaska, but only during the dark months

Musical Influences? Kenny G

Favorite song? "Put it off Until Tomorrow" Dolly Parton

What was your first instrument? The kazoo

Hobbies other than music? Not laying out in the sun

Favorite quote: "You may delay, but time will not" -Benjamin Franklin

Favorite food? Tofu

Favorite movie: The Procrastinator