Robert spoke to a whole audience who might never have thought of themselves as blues fans.

He had a smile and a good word for everybody.

He wasn't about technique, he was about feeling.

He just loved being on the bandstand. He'd kick the piano bench over and drop to his knees and play ... he was a one-man blues party.

His truly beautiful voice and melodic, understated guitar style contrasted dramatically with the more rough and raucous blues and blues-rock that came before him.

This win shows progress. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, though. A lot of people picked us to finish last in the conference, so it would be nice to prove them wrong.