Grammy-winning guitarist and vocalist Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers Band) talks with Says Who Sports about his days as a Little League Baseball pitcher, including facing future MLB Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. in an All Star game, the similarities between athletes and musicians when it comes to finding “The Zone” and blocking out noise and crowd to perform at the highest level, and attending New York Knicks and Rangers games at Madison Square Garden with his teenage son.

Haynes also discusses the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene to his native Asheville, North Carolina, where much of his family still lives, and talks about the status of his upcoming annual Christmas Jam benefit concert event, which has always taken place in Asheville during the holiday season.

Haynes shares his affinity for and approach to playing improvisational music, his appreciation for the two decades-plus he spent in the Allman Brothers Band and the opportunity former ABB guitarist Dickey Betts gave him to join the band, his almost ‘telepathic’ musical connection with original Gov’t Mule bassist and co-founder Allen Woody and longtime-and-current Mule drummer Matt Abts, the mark Woody made on music and his continued influence on younger bass players, and how Haynes continues to improve as a musician and bandmate despite already being considered among the greatest guitar players ever.

Haynes recalls the first time he met the legendary Willie Nelson and offers insight into Nelson’s unique approach to playing guitar, talks about the influence his older brothers had on his musical tastes and exposure as a youngster, the first album he ever bought, and the first concert he ever attended.

He also shares his perspective on the seeming dearth of quality rock bands on the scene nowadays and hope for a revival of sorts, his matter-of-fact opinion on finding success in an always-brutal music business, his gratitude for being able to do what he loves for decades, and much more!