"My oldest brother was in his mid-teens in the Bay Area in the mid-’60s, so whatever was going on, you picked up on early. I picked up the Bill Graham phenomenon. His motto was, ‘We’re not going to give you the music you like. We’re going to give you the music that’s good for you.’ Whatever kid bands he’d have at the Fillmore, he’d throw John Lee Hooker at them too.

I was there, outside Chicago, in my teens. At that time, Muddy Waters was still alive. I saw...