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distilleries, and in the summertime, it’s just a wonderful, gorgeous venue, one after the other. So
we had a wonderful summer. I have things lined up over the winter. We’re doing a show up in

Buffalo, which will kind of get us a little bit more and continue to promote this particular CD, and
I’m on my heels a little bit with the loss of Vinnie, I must say. I was just sitting down starting to
write some material because I wanted to be able to get the project up and ready to release next
summer and then I lost Vinnie. He was my touring guy, but I’ve got a couple of great players that
were auditioning, and we’re hopefully going to be able to move on that.

BiTS: If you go to Buffalo in the winter, Willie, I’ve been reminded of a friend of mine who says

Buffalo is the snow centre of the USA,
so you may have to stay there
forever.

SWH: [Chuckling] I hear you. Yes,
I’m only about 150 miles from there
and so I’m very familiar with the

weather and the actual gig is in
March, and hopefully, by March, it’ll
be a little bit less of a threat.

BiTS: Over the years, Willie, you
must have played in dozens and
dozens of places. Is there any one gig

that you’ve played that for you was
absolutely outstanding when you
think back on it and think that was
absolutely wonderful?

SWH: I’ve been asked that question
more than once, and I have to

honestly say I don’t have one
particular one because there are so
many magical — I’ve been going to
New Orleans for a number of years
with my wife, and I’ve had so much
fun playing with some of the New
Orleans musicians, impromptu

session work in bars. Sometimes for
me, actually I may have stumbled into the answer here. For me, the big show with all the great
lights and the large audience and all that stuff is wonderful, and I’ve had a few of those. We just did
a great show over in Binghamton, an outdoor festival, and we’ve done a few up in Alexandria Bay,
Blues in the Bay, that were great, but for me, the moments that are the most special and exciting

and the most memorable are the ones that just seem to sort of happen. They often happen with the
band that I’m with, but they often happen with players I haven't really played with much. I have a
friend named Brett Johnson out of New Orleans. He’s over in Europe right now touring, and I
played with him at B.B. King’s club in West Palm Beach and a harmonica player named Rockin’ Jake.
Rockin’ Jake is a great player out of Florida. He showed up and we played three or four songs with
all of us together at West Palm, B.B. King’s. It tore the joint up. It just stands out in my mind and

that wasn’t even with my band. It sort of just kind of happened. That was the other thing about The