This sort of reminds me of something I once read. The question was, can a murderer play Othello better than someone who has not murdered? The answer was, "Yes, if he is a better actor."

Sometimes I think that those of us who are caucasian, when we sing the blues trying to imitate the vocal qualities of certain black artists, are just being actors (okay, method actors). There were a number of black bluesmen, even way back, who didn't howl like a wolf, moan like a dove, or cry like a baby when they sang - they just sang the blues straight (Blind Willie McTell for one).