We stay strong. We stay positive, keep our heads up, love one another, spread love. The Devil can't win when you have God on your side.

I have to pinch myself sometimes. It's unbelievable, but it's not. Because I know that this would not be happening if it hadn't been for Dr. Martin Luther King.

My uncle was 16, in junior high, and he heard me singing and snatched me off the stage. I thought he was happy and was going to pat me on the head and say I was good. But he took me home and told my grandmother this youngin' was at school singing the blues.

I'm singing these songs to inspire you, to keep you going, to lift you up and give you a reason to get up in the morning

There is a great feeling in a small venue, with the closeness of the people and the intimacy.

I'm so blessed that I can still be here to bring the music and have new generations of fans. My Pops would be so proud.

I never sang for a Grammy, for money, for fame. That's my whole purpose for singing: for people, for the fans.