B. B. King

What don’t I want to learn? I have how-to books, history, nature. Ain’t nobody here saying, ‘You’d better learn this.’ But I still think I’ve got a head on my shoulders, and it pleases me.

Growing up, I was taught that a man has to defend his family. When the wolf is trying to get in, you gotta stand in the doorway. He has to get through you first before he gets into the house to get your family. I’m one of those guys who wants to be in that door.

You never miss what you’ve never had. I never had any other life. I didn’t know any other life.

When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.

I don’t try to just be a blues singer – I try to be an entertainer. That has kept me going.

I liked blues from the time my mother used to take me to church. I started to listen to gospel music, so I liked that. But I had an aunt at that time, my mother’s aunt who bought records by people like Lonnie Johnson, Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and a few others.

Jazz fans love Miles and I love him for a myriad of reasons, but the overviews are always too simplistic.

A good bassist determines the direction of any band.

Ah music… a magic beyond all we do here!

Music doesn’t have to hop to be hip, as long as it swings it sings.

My style is to just play. The more “live” you capture your music-the more unthought-out-the more magical it is.

A Jazz musician is supposed to find his voice, find his niche and do his thing.

Jazz music has always made powerful statements about freedom, creativity and personal identity.

Jazz is a beautiful word. I love it.

We didn’t have any segregation at the Cotton Club. No. The Cotton Club was wide open, it was free

The joy of music should never be interrupted by a commercial.

Actually, I think the more Ben [Taylor] sings, the less like James he sounds.

When you know the lyrics to a tune, you have some kind of insight as to it’s composition. If you don’t understand what it’s about, you’re depriving yourself of being really able to communicate this poem.

Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.

As a little kid, blues meant hope, excitement, pure emotion. Blues were about feelings. They seem to bring out the feelings of the artist and they brought out my feelings as a kid. They made me wanna move, or sing, or pick up Reverend’s guitar and figure out how to make those wonderful sounds.

That’s a great thing about jazz. We leave it a little space so that we have the opportunity to go where the moment takes us