I was a James Brown junkie as a kid.

World events can shape culture. Music is either a soundtrack for or a narration of changing times. And who knows how that's going to go?

The deepest and most sincere feeling I get is when I meet an artist and they have that steel in their eyes and they have that fire and that passion and all they want is to be a star and to hear themselves on the radio.

Im one of those foolish people who believe the glory days of the record industry arent behind us. Theyre actually ahead of us.

I think of myself as a producer who tries to bring the best out of everyone, whether that be an artist, songwriter or a publicist.

The kids I talk to are convinced their generation will make the best music. And the greatest artists have yet to be discovered. I walk around with that thought every day.

Popular music has always been rooted in the blues, whether it's Adele or Led Zeppelin or Sam Cooke. It's just the beat that changes.