Etta James

I wanna show that gospel, country, blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, rock ___ roll are all just really one thing. Those are the American music and that is the American culture.

When I look out at the people and they look at me and they're smiling, then I know that I'm loved. That is the time when I have no worries, no problems.

Once you lose the weight, you're really anxious to eat healthy.

Long as I was riding in a big Cadillac and dressed nice and had plenty of food, that's all I cared about.

You can't fake this music. You might be a great singer or a great musician but, in the need, that's got nothing to do with it. It's how you connect to the songs and to the history behind them.

Jazz took too much discipline. You have to come in at the right place, which is different than me singing the blues, where I can sing, 'Oh, baby,' if there's a pause in the melody. With jazz, you better leave that space open, or put in something real cool.

Even as a little child, I've always had that comedian kind of attitude.