There are singers that I have enjoyed, from Nina Simone and Ray Charles onward. But the music that made music the number one thing for me as a youth was jazz.

I have the background singers of Ray Charles, the background singers of Smokey Robinson, and the background singers of Barry White and I built a choir around that.

The first piece of music that captured my imagination was probably Ray Charles Live At Newport.

I knelt at the altar of Ray Charles for years. I worked at a restaurant, and that's all there was on the jukebox.

Musically, he was like an old man in a boy's skin.

Well I don't think I've scored my life exclusively to Ray Charles.