At age 19 Brother Yusef picked up a guitar and began experimenting with reggae, r&b and jazz. He found himself at a musical crossroads in April 1989 when he went to the Bakersfield church of his childhood, to pay his last respects at his grandfather's funeral. A soloist there began picking out a soothing church hymn on guitar, connecting Yusef to his grandfather, elders and ancestors in the rich tradition of the blues.

Brother Yusef has gained recognition from audiences and musicians throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County area for his range of sounds and emotion - sadness, joy, anger and laughter. He keeps "one foot in the past and one in the present", by combing "traditional" finger picking and slide guitar playing with the contemporary feeling of urban blues. Audiences love the full sound of his solo performance (he uses his right hand thumb to beat out a percussive bass line and shuffle, while the index finder plays rhythm and lead lines); and musicians nicknamed his "Fatback" or "The Fatt-Back Bluesman", for his intense playing and vocal style.