When I first heard Ray Charles, he was a flop artist on a small label in California. He hadn't sold any records. And I bought his contract for $2,500.

Everyone felt like they knew Ray Charles and in a way they did, because he was embodied by his music.

I love Ray Charles. He can still teach everybody a lot about how to make great music. Not necessarily how to make hits, but how to make great music. Of course, part of it is his incredible talent. Who are the greatest jazz singers in the world? Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Ray Charles.

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.

When you listen to Ray Charles, there's never any doubt whose voice that is.