I'm one of those regular weird people.

I'd rather not sing than sing quiet.

You know why we're stuck with the myth that only black people have soul? Because white people don't let themselves feel things.

Being an intellectual creates a lot of questions and no answers.

Singing, it's like it's like loving somebody, it's a supreme emotional and physical experience.

What we've had to do is learn to control success, put it in perspective, and not lose the essence of what we're doing - the music.

They asked me, How did you learn to sing the blues like that? How did you learn to sing that heavy? I just opened my mouth and that's what I sounded like. You can't make up something that you don't feel. I didn't make it up. I just opened my mouth and it existed.