L.A. Reid Quotes

James Brown is the reason I play guitar.

I love Sly Stone and James Brown and Stevie Wonder, and I want my music to reflect some of that.

The music I was really listening to in 1968 was James Brown, the great guitar player Jimi Hendrix, and a new group... Sly and the Family Stone, led by Sly Stewart from San Francisco.

Prince is from the school of James Brown, and I love James Brown because of all the great rhythms he plays.

You can't hate James Brown! Who hates James Brown?

I love James Brown, and as a baby, I was always dancing to James Brown.

I always loved James Brown, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke.

I'm old enough to remember seeing James Brown live.

I usually listen to various kind of singers. Curtis Mayfield was my favorite. James Brown, Tina Turner, queen of soul, I started to get that musical essence from that time before I even do my first song.

When I started playing, I played in R&B bands. I played James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and all that.

My mom was a big fan of Al Green... James Brown we weren't allowed to listen to, so of course I knew James Brown.

James Brown's music still sounds as fresh and as good and as new as it did when he first created it.

Everybody knew James Brown. Every musician dreamed of being in his band.

I think what makes his story unique from others is there is not really one piece of American pop music you hear today that does not have some James Brown in it.

People like to compartmentalise music, especially African-American music, but it's really one thing. One very wide thing. I mean, it's like all those great records by Marvin Gaye and James Brown back in the day - there are tonnes of jazz musicians playing on them.

Everybody tell me everywhere I go that I'm the closest thing to James Brown they ever seen.

I started playing with this band, the Polyester Players. It was my introduction into funk. So I went and got a James Brown record. 'Black Caesar' is a film score, but it's so dope.

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.

I was inspired by James Brown, Michael Jackson and Prince.

The first artist I really loved was Stevie Wonder. That opened the doors to other soul singers like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin.

Stevie Wonder's records introduced me to '70s soul when I was 12 or 13.

I love a good lyricist - always have. The thing that inspired me most was the different performers, like Tina Turner, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Madonna, even Janet Jackson.

Marvin Gaye is an inspiration to me. He was one of the first Motown musicians that my mom and dad introduced me to, and I always thought it would be a good idea if I was ever an artist, and now I am, to make a record called 'Marvin Gaye.'

I grew in the inner city, listening to Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, James Brown, The Commodores - lots of soul music.

I think I'm more influenced, just in general, not by blues artists, but more by stuff from Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder is probably my biggest musical influence of all. And Donny Hathaway.