Michelle McCool Quotes

Who isn't a fan of Ray Charles?

God bless Ray Charles. It was such an honor to meet him and sing with him and actually just to watch him sing from just two feet away.

The sexiest woman musician is Alicia Keys.

My mom actually had a band called Six Pack - even though there were seven of them - who went around Chicago performing popular songs. Her voice was like Gladys Knight mixed with Aretha Franklin.

I would have to say Sam Cooke is the one I admired most. His artistry and vocal, just the way he did it.

Any time you get to see Paul McCartney, it is pretty special.

Al Green is something else.

Amy Winehouse is one of my biggest inspirations.

It would be a dream come true if I could sing for A.R. Rahman. He is very unconventional.

The first real gig I went to was Randy Crawford in 1980. Seeing a big star like that was just fantastic.

People say I'm the white Aretha Franklin. I wish I was her.

John Legend is a cool guy. He likes to chill, is easy to talk to and hang out with. He's also inspiring on a musical level.

I knew BB King when he first started out.

Paul McCartney would be the end all, be all. To work with Paul would just be amazing.

I saw Louis Armstrong perform at Albany State College on Radio Springs Road. He was probably the first famous individual I saw in concert. Unfortunately, I never did get to meet him.

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 would actually like to play Bobby Brown. To me, he was just the King of R&B at one point.

I've always liked Tina Turner.

John Lee Hooker became a friend of mine and I love all of his work. He was truly an icon. He lived the life. I miss him.

My ultimate film role would be to play the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin.

There was a time in American history when almost every white person knew who Aretha Franklin was.

My introduction of Whitney was that if there's going to be one performer for the next generation who combined the beauty and lyric phrasing of a Lena Horne with those Gospel fiery roots of an Aretha Franklin, it would be Whitney Houston.

I always loved Sam Cooke, because he seemed very versatile. He sang gospel, soul, blues, pop music.

I was growing up listening to Queen. Freddie Mercury threw those incredible melodies into his songs.

My first concert makes me sound like a real old man. My very first concert was Jackie Wilson.