Quotes About Music

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.

The way I work on music is that I go into my studio, and I start playing music, and I see what happens, and... I never think about it.

When I do have time to work on music, I'm kind of selfish, and would rather work on my own stuff than someone else's.

All I want to do with my life is try and make music that I really love, and so every day I try and work on music.

I've been able to do pretty well. I don't work as many consecutive nights as I used to, but I'm still working over 100 nights a year, so that's good for me.

When it came time to sequence the album, the new arrangements really demanded a different order. They were so different than they were before that the old sequence didn't work anymore.

I don't enjoy the work that I do. It's just that it's not self-sustaining anymore. The way that I like to make records - they're expensive records to make and just can't afford to do it anymore.

I pride myself on being the type of artist who can work half in the R&B world and half in the pop world.

I think in some ways - only in some ways - but in some ways, rock and roll has let me down. It really doesn't leave you a way to grow old gracefully and continue to work.

I think [song 'Can't Stop Workin'] it's the constant work; performing and traveling. It gets to be a bit of a strain. But if you pace yourself, which I've managed to do, you can go pretty well.

It's the way I like to work for these kinds of songs [like "Peace Trail"]. It was the right time of the month; everything was looking good.

When I find a cover song that I like, I'll work away at it until I kind of believe that I wrote it.

By the time I was eight I was taking classical piano lessons and I wanted to be a concert pianist. But that didn't work out. I graduated from high school and my formal education ended.

Songwriting is something I really need to work on. I don't have very many songs but I really love it. I would love to be a great song writer some day.

The idea of the record is that it's a statement for working with a group, of a collaborative work. That should be visible in the music.

I used to work in a record store. I'm kind of a record nerd.

In my old age, my mind gets more open, and I listen to so many different types of music and I guess that all reflects in my work.

I'd love to work with Disney again.

I work on words, mostly, toward them being poetry or short stories, and then some of those become songs.

Speaking of WAMU, [bluegrass and old time music DJ] Ray Davis did a lot of work there. I've know Ray, I guess for 50 years - 40, or 50 years. And, he plays a lot of my records.

I was so fortunate to sing and work with so many amazing performers and artists.

Every song that has been a hit for me has been honest and truthful. I have to believe that same formula will work on this (television) show. It has to be believable and honest.

I don't think about, "How does this song that has more of an electronic mix prefix to a song that has a full orchestra next to a song that has other things?" I just work on it as-needed.

There is also the guitar player Pat Metheny with whom I'd like to work with: he is so elegant and so emotional when he plays that I am sure that, together, we could make a good team.