My Mom Taught Me A Lot. A

When I Started To Sing Like Myself - As Opposed To Imitating Nat Cole, Which I Had Done For A While - When I Started Singing Like Ray Charles, It Had This Spiritual And Churchy, This Religious Or Gospel Sound. It Had This Holiness And Preachy Tone To It. It Was Very Controversial. I Got A Lot Of Criticism For It.

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder And Tears Are Only Rain To Make Love Grow.

When I Was Going Blind, I Didn't Turn To God. It Didn't Seem To Me Then - And It Doesn't Seem To Me Now - That Those Items Were His Concern. Early On, I Figured I Better Begin To Learn How To Count On Myself, Instead Of Counting On Supernatural Forces.

My Music Had Roots Which I'd Dug Up From My Own Childhood, Musical Roots Buried In The Darkest Soil.

If You Can Play The Blues, You Can Do Anything.