Once I Understood Bach's Music, I Wanted

By The Time I Was Eight I Was Taking Classical Piano Lessons And I Wanted To Be A Concert Pianist. But That Didn't Work Out. I Graduated From High School And My Formal Education Ended.

My People Have Very Subtle Slang, Inflections And Ways Of Saying Things That Has Little To Do With Words. If You're From The Same Place, You'll Feel The Jargon And Know Exactly What's Happening. Same With Any Neighborhood Cat. What He Sees And Hears And Feels And Lives Makes Him What He Is. That's What Blues Is.

I Tell You What Freedom Is To Me: No Fear.

What Kept Me Sane Was Knowing That Things Would Change, And It Was A Question Of Keeping Myself Together Until They Did.

I Was Always A Politician From The Day The Civil Rights People Chose Me As Their Protest Singer.