Q&A with Musician Brandon Hudspeth

Brandon Hudspeth is a two-time Blues Music award and six-time Blues Blast award-nominated professional musician and music teacher. He has been playing and touring with different bands for many years. Fans and curious readers can find his bio, tour dates, news, and more on brandonhudspeth.com.

How did you get your start as a musician?

I started playing guitar after seeing Johnny Cash on Sesame Street when I was five years old. My parents noticed the interest and signed me up for guitar lessons soon after. I began playing in church about three years later, I believe.

What group or groups are you involved with now?

I have a band called Levee Town, based out of Kansas City. We have been playing original roots music all over the US since 2003. I also have a duo called Hudspeth & Taylor. We have been getting lots of accolades on our latest album release title Ridin the Blinds.

How would you describe your personal musical style?

I’m very inspired by early Blues, Jazz, and Country music. I believe my style greatly reflects a mix of those musical genres.

What other musicians do you admire the most?

I admire lots of musical pioneers, including Fred McDowell, Charlie Christian, Buck Owens, and Freddy King. My favorite guitar players would have to be BB King and Wes Montgomery.

What has been your most memorable show or performance?

One memorable show that sticks out is when the great guitarist Albert Lee played a full set with my band Levee Town. It was surreal, for sure. I got a call out of the blue from Albert’s manager saying he’d be in K.C. and would love to play some music with me. I naturally was in disbelief, but it ended up working out great and was a superb performance. He is a great guy and an unbelievable talent.

What has been your biggest challenge as a musician? What do you find most rewarding?

One big challenge has been staying busy in the winter time. There are way fewer gigs, of course, and traveling can be much harder. Also, early on, the lesson of not being able to please everyone and being okay with that was somewhat of a challenge. You have to grow thick skin if you weren’t born with it. Being a musician is so rewarding if you look at it for what it is. My job is to unite people and also to provide an opportunity to either help people forget or remember someone or something.

What advice would you give to other aspiring artists?

Some advice I’d give would be to write a LOT of songs. With every song comes a lesson in some form. Also, I’d say practice more than anyone else. The more time with your instrument, the easier it is to express yourself.

What are your future plans? Where can readers hear you perform or listen to your music?

Although I’ve been at this a very long time, I’m still on my way up, so there are lots of shows to play, musicians to play with, and songs to write. I plan on seeing how far I can take it.