'Sonny Boy's roots are deeply embedded in the rural farm life of eastern North Carolina. As a youngster, he would listen to the radio constantly, inside and outside of the house. Whether inside with his mother's country & western music, or out in the pack barn where the farmhands played the blues, music was always a part of his day. It did not take Jackie long to decide which music he liked the most. A local farmhand taught him some Jimmy Reed licks on the guitar and he became hooked on the blues. It was from British acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Animals and Eric Clapton that he learned other styles of the blues. His first guitar was a Sears Silvertone, given to him by his granddaddy, Ben 'Sonny Boy' Davis. He still has the guitar and the nickname.

Music has always been his passion and Jackie says that now he's in the band he was meant to play with!