Ray Charles

I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.

I do Jazz, Blues, Country and so forth. I do them all like a good utility man.

What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man.

My version of Georgia became the state song of Georgia. That was a big thing for me, man. It really touched me. Here is a state that used to lynch people like me suddenly declaring my version of a song as its state song. That is touching.

There are many spokes on the wheel of life. First, we’re here to explore new possibilities.

Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.

It seems like I always had to work harder than other people. Those nights when everybody else is asleep, and you sit in your room trying to play scales. I just wonder where I was when the talent was being given out, like George Benson, Kenny Burrell, Eric Clapton… oh, there’s many more! I wouldn’t want to be like them, you understand, but I’d like to be equal, if you will.

I have no elitist concepts about Jazz. I would not be the musician I am today without experiencing invaluable music styles that are at the roots of African American black life and culture.

The minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.

With songwriting I spend a lot of time living life, accruing all these experiences, journaling, and then by the time I get to the studio I’m teeming with the drive to write.

To get the music the way you want it, there’s a lot of work involved.

If you dig it, do it. If you dig it a lot, do it again.

I decided that I would be one of the biggest new names; and I actually had some little fancy business cards printed up to announce it, ‘Count Basie. Beware, the Count is Here.

In my opinion, I think sarcasm and humor in a song, without turning it into a novelty song, is really charming.

..I wanted to create music that was so different that my mother could tell me from anyone else.

I’m fortunate that I’m making a living at it now because I’m not equipped to do anything else.

In the world of Art there are no wrong choices.

Talent is only the starting point.

When you want ’em you can’t get ’em, when you’ve got ’em, you don’t want ’em.

It’s not technique — it’s what you have to say.

Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.