Charles Bradley

A real good artist learns to be a better person through all the changes they've been through. They keep their loving and honesty growing and learn to look at the world and not be full of hatred. ”

I was learning 'Changes' at the time that my mom was sick and she was leaving me. And those last verses in that song, they really struck my soul, totally. ”

When I got out of Job Corps, I was an empty shell. I didn't know what to do with myself. ”

James Brown really taught me a lot - his lyrics and his performance and whatever he does when he's onstage. I'll always call him a legend, and I'll always respect what he did. ”

America has been a very cold place to me, and it was good once in a while. I meet good people. Sometimes I meet bad people. But there are some things that I still haven't forgotten today that hurt that bad. ”

Back in the day, I was afraid to speak out. When I get music behind me, it feels like I can soothe the hurt and put it in vocals and say it to the room the way I feel it. ”

I did a CD way back in 1989, but I never got it off the ground. ”

I always try to get in the back of the audience because people really want to get close to me, and I want to get close to them. ”

I lived in the streets for three years when I was a kid, and every day, I didn't know where my next meal would come from. ”

I've never been married. I'm married to my music. ”