His longtime bandmate, Jason Ringenberg, called Hodges "the only guitarist in the world who can really bridge the gap between James Burton and Angus Young.

His father, Edgar W. Hodges, was a U.S. Army officer who served in Korea, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, and the Panama Canal Zone in addition to Germany.

[8] Edgar and his wife Blanche were professional country musicians who toured with USO shows, entertaining troops at military bases.

Their band, Swingin' Strings, opened for well-known performers including Johnny Cash, Lefty Frizzell, and Porter Wagoner.

She and Ed made a special guest appearance on the 1998 live album by Jason & the Scorchers, Midnight Roads & Stages Seen.

[8] Hodges was in a Nashville band called the Electric Boys along with two other future members of Jason & the Scorchers, Jeff Johnson and Perry Baggs.

Hodges' deep knowledge of country music, courtesy of his upbringing, helped form the bedrock of the band in tandem with his particular set of influences.

[10][9] In a 2017 interview, he cited Danny Gatton as his all-time favorite guitar player, along with a long list of rock and country artists, famous stars as well as less-recognized names.

Both the spinning and over-the-shoulder moves may be seen in the appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on April 29, 1998: (Video on YouTube).

On top of pouring out riffs like a rumbling volcano spits out lava, Hodges will interpolate delicate little rhythmic accents...He often manages to be brutal and graceful at the same time.

"[15] A 1995 account noted that Hodges' "vast warehouse of guitar tricks" included "Chuck Berry riffs, crunching heavy metal sputter, barbed-wire arpeggios, [and] Eddie Van Halen squalls.

"[23] In August 2021, Hodges and old comrade Jeff Johnson (whom he hadn't seen in more than a decade) were guests on a podcast about Nashville's rock history.