My grandmother had this high-tech security system - a rusty nail she used to lock the door.

The climate in the '50s and '60s for black performers or black people in the entertainment business was atrocious. It was atrocious.

A great song can make a terrible singer sound good, but a good singer - you put a great song on top of that, you're really in great shape!

What happens when you get a big break and you haven't prepared yourself? That becomes the biggest mistake you've ever made. I see it happen all the time.

I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth."

My brother died of cancer two years ago (1998), renal cell carcinoma. He was my only real brother and I didn't know what to do. I'd never been so desperate in my life.

I was inspired by a lot of people when I was young, every band that came through town, to the theater, or the dance hall. I was at every dance, every night club, listened to every band that came through, because in those days we didn't have MTV, we didn't have television.