Aretha Franklin Quotes

I always had a love of music, from the time I was a little kid, dressing up and singing along with Michael Jackson songs.

My parents were both very musically inclined, they were both songwriters and musicians, so we grew up in the house singing music together, and R&B had a huge strong arm in the foundation of my career.

I love Ray Charles. He can still teach everybody a lot about how to make great music. Not necessarily how to make hits, but how to make great music. Of course, part of it is his incredible talent. Who are the greatest jazz singers in the world? Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Ray Charles.

I do have musical background; I sing.

When I really started liking music was when I could play some of it myself, and after a couple of years of playing folk music, I kinda rediscovered those hits that were on the radio all the time when I was a kid.

I love the whole aspect of music, especially the singing; I never get tired of finding new songs to sing and sing them in a way that's interesting for the public.

My grandfather was a church organist and would sing in choirs and was a musical genius to a certain extent.

You can't get a better education in what it is to write songs until you listen to American soul music.

I've always sung in the shower and I watched a lot of 'Rage' when I was young.

Really, music is what I'm interested in, and the lyric part of it came from just having to have something to sing.

I made a good living for a teenager. And I had to learn all different kinds of music - jazz, swing, Motown, pop - and that inspired what kind of music I started to write.

Singing and playing have always gone hand-in-hand with me. I love 'em both equally.

I love music, singing, and playing piano (though I'm not very good). And I adore musical theater.

When I was in school, you could pick any instrument you want, and they'd teach you how to play it. That changed my life. I loved playing music in school, and it sent me on my path as a musician.

I try not to shut any doors before I even get there. I like doing music. I like singing. I love all music. Music kind of goes hand in hand with acting anyway.

My dad always played a lot of music, so I heard him playing all the time, and then I decided that I wanted to learn to play guitar, so I got an acoustic and started taking lessons. I wanted to be able to shred like Yngwie Malmsteen.

It was my love for the guitar that first got me into music and singing.

I see it as more of a teenage activity than, you know, she's only 11, but you know, I think it's great that she knows so many girls who want to play music. And I see it more as a teen activity than I do as going into music.

I wasn't very aware of pop music because I attended an arts school. For me, it was all about jazz.

I do remember actually learning chords to Beatles songs. I thought they were great songwriters.

I am a lover of all sorts of different music. I love blues and every piece of music that I have listened to has become an influence.

When you're talking about your own music every day, listening to bands, going to festivals, you can kind of lose sight of your initial connection with music. Instrumental music - especially jazz - helps me refocus.

I grew up in a school that had a big music program, and it was incredible. It's what I looked forward to during the day. I had chorus, strings, band.

I'm really a singer, so I love songs and I love singing. I like rap music, but I didn't grow up freestyling.

I have been doing music all my life so everyday when I get up I expect music will be part of it.