The naked female body is treated so weirdly in society. It's like people are constantly begging to see it, but once they do, someone's a hoe.

Every color I can think of and nationality, we were all touched by Dr. King because he made us like each other and respect each other.

I'm not a career kind of person. When I saw new music, new trends coming in, I didn't see any place for me. And I didn't think about it as a career loss, because I was married - I have a great- grandchild now. The low points were when I lost people that I really cared about.

In my early days I was a sepia Hedy Lamarr. Now I'm black and a woman, singing my own way.

Don't be afraid to feel as angry or as loving as you can, because when you feel nothing, it's just death.

50 years old is like springtime to me.

I want to sing like Aretha Franklin. Before her I wanted the technical ability of Ella Fitzgerald.