At age 18, Doyle Bramhall II was recruited by the Fabulous Thunderbirds to hold down the guitar slot thanks to a recommendation from Stevie Ray Vaughan. Since that early break he has stuck out as a solo artist, performed as a member of Roger Waters' band, produced albums by Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow, and, most notably, settled into a comfortable role as Eric Clapton's not-so-secret weapon and right-hand man. (Clapton cites the guitarist as one of the most gifted players he has ever encountered).
Bramhall, who’s ambidextrous, learned to play in a peculiar manner. He plays left-handed with the instrument strung for a right-hander and flipped backwards so the low E is on the bottom. We're pretty sure all our guitar playin' friends are going to read that last sentence a few times.
"You could hardly have blamed Doyle Bramhall II if he had kind of coasted through life after his rather storied childhood. The kid of a famous drummer and songwriter, he had the opportunity to live with and get pointers from Stevie Ray Vaughan and then gigged with SRV’s brother Jimmie while still a teenager. Along the way he developed a distinctive blues-rock style, characterized by a bold and fiery attack, wicked vibrato, massive tone, and unique phrasing, which was partially informed by his “upside-down” technique of playing lefty on guitars that are strung righty.
Rather than stand pat with all of that, Bramhall has continually forged ahead, playing with the Arc Angels, releasing solo albums, touring with Roger Waters, and being in a band with a guy known as Slowhand. Uh, okay. Good enough? Well, not exactly. Despite all the success, the accolades, and the “Are you kidding me?” jam sessions, Bramhall continued to search, continued to learn, and continued to try to put the sounds, melodies, and grooves that he heard in his head into a single, cohesive statement." - Guitar Player