I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water. |
I'd like to think that when I sing a song, I can let you know all about the heartbreak, struggle, lies and kicks in the ass I've gotten over the years for being black and everything else, without actually saying a word about it. |
I'm not into the money thing. You can only sleep in one bed at a time. You can only eat one meal at a time, or be in one car at a time. So I don't have to have millions of dollars to be happy. All I need are clothes on my back, a decent meal, and a little loving when I feel like it. That's the bottom line. |
I'm not into the money thing. You can only sleep in one bed at a time. You can only eat one meal at a time, or be in one car at a time. So I don't have to have millions of dollars to be happy. All I need are clothes on my back, a decent meal, and a little loving when I feel like it. That's the bottom line. |
It Should've Been Me. |
It was like a playoff atmosphere. This was a great game for us to play at this time of the year. |
It was the place to be. |
It's great for families - we really take care to make sure all of our entertainment is family appropriate. We've added new children's activities, lots of free things to do and great music. |
Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory. |
Love is a special word, and I use it only when I mean it. You say the word too much and it becomes cheap. |
McQueen and us, we always seem to have a playoff-type game. One mistake can cost you the game. |
Music is my life, professionally, for nearly 60 years. To be recognized by the academy is still the highest honor. |
My music had roots which I'd dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil. |
My version of "Georgia" became the state song of Georgia. That was a big thing for me, man. It really touched me. Here is a state that used to lynch people like me suddenly declaring my version of a song as its state song. That is touching. |
Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Records 1952-1959 |