We didn't have music videos. You weren't an overnight sensation. You had to work at it and learn your craft: how to take care of your voice, how to pace your concerts, all that trial and error.
Aretha FranklinRead
As a very small girl, I listened to Charlie Parker and loved him and Max Roach and people like that.
Interpretation
The speaker reminisces about her early love for influential musicians.
In this quote, Aretha Franklin reflects on her childhood experiences with music, specifically her admiration for jazz legends Charlie Parker and Max Roach. This highlights the formative influence of music on her life and career, showcasing how early inspirations can shape one's artistic journey.
In practice
During a music appreciation class, to emphasize the lasting impact of early musical influences.
We didn't have music videos. You weren't an overnight sensation. You had to work at it and learn your craft: how to take care of your voice, how to pace your concerts, all that trial and error.
Trying to grow up is hurting. You make mistakes. You try to learn from them, and when you don't, it hurts even more.
My mentor was Clara Ward of the famous Ward gospel singers of Philadelphia. And my dad was my coach. He coached me. And just my natural love for music is what drove me.
It really is an honor if I can be inspirational to a younger singer or person. It means I've done my job.
In terms of helping people understand and know each other a little better, music is universal - universal and transporting.
Everybody wants respect. In their own way, three-year-olds would like respect, and acknowledgment, in their terms.
I was signed to a record label at the same time as my friend Elliot Murphy, who makes great records to this day.
With the Beatles, we'd been very spoiled because we had George Martin who worked for the record label we were going to be signed to. That was very fortunate, because we grew together.
Too many jazz pianists limit themselves to a personal style, a trademark, so to speak. They confine themselves to one type of playing.
I get a thrill meeting kids who are into alternative music.
I can sing very comfortably from my vantage point because a lot of the music was about a loss of innocence, there's innocence contained in you but there's also innocence in the process of being lost.
When Van Halen started out, there was no path to fame. We just played what we liked. Even today it always comes down to the simplicity of rock and roll.
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