Long as I was riding in a big Cadillac and dressed nice and had plenty of food, that's all I cared about.

I really turned into, you know, the real street kid. I was kind of like a runaway, but I had a mother, you know what I mean, and I had a place to stay.

My mother used to play nothing but Billie Holiday.

I wanna show that gospel, country, blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll are all just really one thing. Those are the American music and that is the American culture.

The music was thunder and joy. Lightning bolts of happiness and praise, foot-stomping, dance-shouting, good-feeling singing from the soul.

I figured I could do "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World" because I believe it's the truth.

I sing the songs that people need to hear.