Dudley Taft grew up in a country called the "Midwest", where he learned the values of friendship, roots blues, rock 'n' roll and a good ear of corn. Local guitar hero Rob Swaynie in Indianapolis taught Dudley the value of music theory interspersed with B.B King, Led Zeppelin and ZZ Top riffs. By the time Dudley headed for his tour of duty at the Taft School in Conneticut, named after his great-grand uncle President William Taft, music was already in his blood.