Guitar prodigy Shonn Hinton has played and toured with all kinds of R&B and hip-hop greats—Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Lil Wayne—but it was the prospect of creating his own distinct sound that inspired him to gather Shotgun together in 2014.

As a band, Shonn Hinton and Shotgun channel the gospel rock sound made popular by artists like Robert Randolph and The Word, rooted in the blues and played with a celebratory approach, emphasized by ferocious lap steel texturing and sheer guitar virtuosity. The crew of Milwaukee musicians—made up of Sean Williamson (lap and pedal steel guitar), Darrien Williams (guitar), Alex Julien (bass), Olen Franklin and Terry Jeanes Jr. (percussion)—have played together at backyard parties, churches and summer festivals. “You name it, odds are we've done it in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” Hinton said. “It's all about us playing together as a group, showing our city that we are one.”

Hinton premieres the single “Charmaine” and tells Myspace who it’s based on, how he got his start, and why he loves the Midwest.

Hometown and homebase: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Why is your band called Shotgun?

The phrase "riding shotgun" means someone rides in the front seat with you. I call the band shotgun because the men in this group have road with me and embraced my vision on this musical journey since the beginning.

How did you pick up the guitar?

As kid I just thought it was a cool instrument to play. I was obsessed with the shape and colors of the guitar — mainly the Fender Stratocaster. Once my mom bought me my first real guitar from Docs jewelry and loan pawn shop, I began practicing day and night, until WAY PAST MY BED TIME! I was listening to Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. As I got older I started listening to cats like John Jubu Smith (who has a blues group called Legally Blynd) Paul Jackson Jr. and Freddie King.

Do you remember the first song you ever wrote? What was it about?

Wow! It was called "Miracle Worker;" it was a gospel song I wrote for my family’s young quartet group that I was a part of. I remembered bible stories of how God humbles lions in a den where Daniel was thrown in, and the Hebrew boys who were thrown in a fiery furnace, to which God cooled the flames. A bit much, but it worked well with a nice shuffle rhythm.

When did you realize you wanted to be a musician and perform for a living?

Even as a 12-year-old punk kid, It didn't take long to come to grips of me wanting to make a career out of music after watching groups like The Boys (a young African-American pop group from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s) the Rolling Stones, and Def Leppard. Seeing how people reacted to their presence on stage intrigued me. From that point I was just trying to figure out how was I going to make it happen.

How do you describe Shotgun’s sound to someone who has never heard you before?

A Southern Baptist, church-tent revival — merged with a juke joint, backwoods tavern band with a contemporary rock & roll twist.

You have supported a number of A-list performers. How did you get the hookup for session work like that as an artist from a medium-sized Midwest city?

It's truly about who you know. Back in 2002 I met a Chicago drummer, Rex Hardy Jr., and told him I was interested in making a name for myself in Chicago playing for church choirs. But Rex had bigger plans after he saw a VHS tape of me playing, and the rest is history. He called on me to play for a Dave Hollister tour, where I went by the name of "lil Jimi Hendrix." Every time I’d get on stage, I'd go for blood! I'd pluck the strings with my teeth and play behind my back. I was pulling out all the moves! That caught the eye of Kelly Price, then Mary J. Blige in 2004. I then went on to tour with Lil Wayne, John Legend and Jill Scott. It's crazy because I ask myself this question whenever I'm performing in front of thousands of people. Like, how did someone from Milwaukee accomplish something so great? I'm just blessed!

How does living in Milwaukee influence your music?

There’s something about playing for the city that I love dearly. Whether it's giving that big sigh of, "damn it feels good to be home" after sitting on a plane flying over Lake Michigan while viewing the tall U.S. bank building, or performing at Summerfest, one of the biggest music festivals in the world, it's a blood rush to the head every time. Nothing against Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, London, and Paris (because we are going to rock each of those places!), but Milwaukee is the place where I lay my head, where I take my children to school, and people recognize who you are due to the accomplishments you've achieved.

Your earlier material is all instrumental, but your newer stuff will feature vocals. Why the change in direction?

Long ago I wanted to be an auto-tuning, R&B crooner. So my very first album, The Love Story, was my entrance as a singer. I was trying way too hard to achieve that goal. It just wasn't me, so singing took a back seat, and I focused on my guitar on The Happy Hour LP. This reset the bowling pins that is my career and I was ready to begin again! [On this forthcoming album] I just really just have fun. Magic happened when I stopped taking myself so seriously as a singer.

Is there a real-life Charmaine?

There is! She's my new wife! Before we got married and we were shacking up (as the church folks say), I called her on my way home from a gig late at night. When she picked up, I sang "Charmaine, baby I'm coming home to you". Of course she paid it no mind but I knew that it was going to be a fun song to perform. So by the time I made it home the song was completed in my head and on my iPhone's voice memo app.