æz wˈɛl æz kəntɹˈɪbjuːɾɪŋ tə sˈɔŋɹaɪɾɪŋ, hiː wʌz ˈɔːlsoʊ wˈʌn ʌvðə lˈiːd vˈoʊkəlˌɪsts ˌɔn ˈælbəmz ænd lˈaɪv kˈɑːnsɚts, tˈeɪkɪŋ ðə lˈiːd ˌɔn tɹˈæks sˈʌtʃ ɐz "bˈækwɔːɾɚ", "ɪz ðɛɹ ɐ bˈɛɾɚ wˈeɪ", "bˈaɪ bˈaɪ dʒˈɑːni", "hˈaɪ flˈaɪɚ" ænd "ɹˈoʊdhaʊs blˈuːz".
As well as contributing to songwriting, he was also one of the lead vocalists on albums and live concerts, taking the lead on tracks such as "Backwater", "Is There a Better Way", "Bye Bye Johnny", "High Flyer" and "Roadhouse Blues".