I'll listen to anything authentic whether it's bluegrass or gospel or blues.

There's something very authentic about humor, when you think about it. Anybody can pretend to be serious. But you can't pretend to be funny.

I listen to gospel music.

Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope.

His sound was stunning -- it was the blues, it was R&B, it was gospel, it was swing -- it was all the stuff I was listening to before that but rolled into one amazing, soulful thing.

The blues is life itself.