This guitarist and singer, who was born in California but grew up in St. Louis, was one of the first black musicians to consciously forge his own versions of the blues and rhythm & blues styles for appeal to the mass market - and he was certainly the most successful of his generation in this effort. Like many other black musicians of the time, he also knew country music and found that performances of this music appealed strongly to the white members of his audience. His guitar playing is also considered an early model for guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix among others.