The color of music: Guitar prodigy overcomes obstacles to share his 'soul' at Funky Blues Shack (PHOTOS)

Todd Simpson cannot read or write. The guitar prodigy plays his guitar by colors.

 “I see the colors and I play them,” he said, adding that he “speaks through the guitar.”

“It doesn’t make sense to most people, but I can’t read the music — I just feel the music.”

The 21-year-old guitar prodigy from Birmingham, Ala., will bring his high performance “bluesy show” to Destin’s Funky Blues Shack Saturday night. He is no stranger to the Emerald Coast, having played shows in Panama City and Destin prior to this weekend. In past gigs, he has played in clubs such as the Whiskey a GoGo and venues all over the United States, opening for legendary bands such as the Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band and Huey Lewis and the News.

“It is amazing that I have been able to play in some of the same buildings as James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison,” he said.

Being on stage in front of a crowd is something that comes naturally for Simpson.

“I just love to play,” he told the Log. “It doesn’t really matter where I play, I’m just happy to be out there.”

The fact that Simpson is even playing the guitar, let alone touring nationally is a miracle in itself. He spent most of his early life in and out of hospitals, after he was born with a very rare condition called DiGeorge Syndrome. Simpson underwent his first open-heart surgery at two days old.

DiGeorge syndrome is caused by the deletion of a portion of chromosome 22. Each person has two copies of chromosome 22, one inherited from each parent. This chromosome contains an estimated 500 to 800 genes.

He also suffers from combined immune deficiency, severe dyslexia and problems with his nervous system. He spent more than 700 days in the hospital by his third birthday.

While Simpson said music serves as a catalyst in this life, he stressed that the key to music is to “be only as good as you can be.”

“There is no point in trying to be better than someone else,” he said. “That is not what I want. That’s not the way you should look at life.”

Throughout the years, Simpson has gained musical inspiration from various rock and roll legends, such as Otis Redding, Sam Cook, Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughn, but he said the biggest inspiration to this point has been his father.

“If it wasn’t for him I would never have gotten an education and learned most of what I have,” he said. “We just have so many similarities.”

When asked how he would describe his musical style, Simpson said he thinks of himself as an “older soul.” He said his style of music is mostly drawn from the blues and soul genre, although he does play what he calls “hip-hop” blues, which is mirrored after artists such as the late Tupac Shakur.

 “I never play a song the same way twice and I never play it just like the artist — I am always going to put my own spin on it,” he said.

To sample Todd Simpson’s music, or to read more about this talented young man, visit www.toddsimpsonandmojochild.com.

“While I may not be able to change the world, I can start the line,” he said. “I think that if I can survive what I did, and do what I want to in life, then hopefully other people will feel that they can too.”