The whole of life itself expresses the blues. That's why I always say the blues are the true facts of life expressed in words and song, inspiration, feeling and understanding. The blues can be about anything pertaining to the facts of life. The blues call on God as much as a spiritual song do.

A bad rendition of you is better than a good rendition of somebody else.

The blues will always be because the blues are the roots of all American music.

According to Biblical history and all of the history of the world, the blues was built in man from the beginning. The first thing that came out of man is the blues because, according to the Scriptures, when God made man, man was lonesome and blue.

I hadn't been exposed to music except in church. They used to have me singing a solo when I was five years old.

I feel like the blues is actually some kind of documentary of the past and the present - and something to give people inspiration for the future.

It could be a spoonful of diamonds, could be a spoonful of gold. Just a little spoon of your precious love satisfies my soul.