When I Was 17 - 16, My

The First Time I Knew What I Wanted To Do With My Life Was When I Was About Four Years Old. I Was Listening To An Old Victrola, Playing A Railroad Song...i Thought That Was The Most Wonderful, Amazing Thing...that You Could Take This Piece Of Wax And Music Would Come Out Of That Box. From That Day On, I Wanted To Sing On The Radio.

There's No Way Around Grief And Loss: You Can Dodge All You Want, But Sooner Or Later You Just Have To Go Into It, Through It, And, Hopefully, Come Out The Other Side. The World You Find There Will Never Be The Same As The World You Left.

I'm Not Really Concerned About Boundaries. I Just Follow My Conscience And My Heart. Follow Your Heart. That's What I Do. Compassion Is Something I Have A Lot Of, Because I've Been Through A Lot Of Pain In My Life. Anybody Who Has Suffered A Lot Of Pain Has A Lot Of Compassion.

They're Powerful, Those Songs. At Times They've Been My Only Way Back, The Only Door Out Of The Dark, Bad Places The Black Dog Calls Home.

That Was The Big Thing When I Was Growing Up, Singing On The Radio. The Extent Of My Dream Was To Sing On The Radio Station In Memphis. Even When I Got Out Of The Air Force In 1954, I Came Right Back To Memphis And Started Knocking On Doors At The Radio Station.