Musical Exposure Quotes

I didn't know a single musical soundtrack, really, growing up. Nobody listened to musicals. That wasn't a thing I did.

The mall is good for hearing new music because you hear music everywhere. I like to walk around the mall and hear what the kids are listening to, or what's the feel of Middle America, cause that's what the mall is.

Young singers are much better educated musically, much better informed, through discs and videos, than I was.

I didn't grow up listening to him - my parents listened more to Neil Young and Joni Mitchell - but I lived in a flatshare for two years, and my flatmate loved Leonard Cohen. He would always play him when he got home from the studio or something.

When I was a kid, I grew up watching musicals.

I had been exposed to classical music my whole life; even before I was born.

I was lucky enough to grow up in an era when radio was less formatted. It was really special. You could hear a jazz song then a pop song then a show tune then some jazz. Basically, whatever the DJ felt like playing, he would play. He was educating you and exposing you to things you would never hear otherwise.

When I was young, I never bought records because my brother Joseph played saxophone and had a record player. I loved listening to his records: The Dorsey Brothers, Duke Ellington, all the big American jazz bands, and vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Ernestine Anderson, and Kitty White, a singer from the US who was a friend of Nina Simone. Nobody in America seems to know about her, but she was quite popular in South Africa.

I hadn't been exposed to music except in church. They used to have me singing a solo when I was five years old.

I went every Sunday to church when I was growing up, and I think that music had an affect on me before my memory can recall.

When I was three years old, one of the first albums I ever heard was Michael Jackson's 'Off the Wall.'

I was bred and raised in a multi-cultural music background.

I was put on so many different musical stages growing up that I didn't think about what kind of music we played. I just thought music was music.

I've gotten to be part of a lot of incredible tours and have learned so much from the people I've had the opportunity to open for.

After I moved with my mother to St. Louis, my older sister and I went to see Ike Turner, who was the hottest then. His music charged me. I was never attracted to him, but I wanted to sing with his band.

You can't really force kids to like music. I'm a firm believer in an organic fan base.

I never listened to country music growing up.

I'm very lucky my parents were into different kinds of music.

I was inspired by a lot of people when I was young. Every band that came through town, to the theater, or the dance hall. I was at every dance, every night club, listened to every band that came through, because in those days we didn't have MTV, we didn't have television.

I have said many times-if I hadn't been exposed to music as a child I don't think I would have been president.

I think that's really important, that kids get exposed to music as soon as they can - not necessarily to become musicians, but at least have an outlet. It's an art form that's easily accessible to young ears.

I came from a family where my people didn't like rhythm and blues. Bing Crosby - "Pennies from Heaven" - Ella Fitzgerald, was all I heard.

I was really fortunate growing up to have a broad musical education. My parents listened to all kinds of music, rock, soul, Motown, jazz, Frank Sinatra, everything.

You can't expect someone born into a family with no music... to understand when I'm conducting the Schoenberg Variations.

My parents were fairly young in the city of Compton. So the things that they played - you know, that was the hip crowd. So I was being exposed to all these ideas, from Big Daddy Kane to Eazy-E to the Bay Area - Too Short, E-40 - you know, back to Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers.