I was aware of people staring at me. No one moved. They seemed almost in trance. I just stared at the clock in the center of the church. When I finished, everyone clapped and started crying.

There are days when we all fall in a solitude trance while hearing a sad country song playing in the background. You are staring straight and frozen as your mind is held hostage in a heartbreaking cell reminiscing a loved one from your past.

Being around people like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack. . . had a great impact on me as a singer, as a performer, as a musician.

It seemed we had no regard for the ball whatsoever on Saturday, from the receivers, to the backs, everybody who touched it. We can't have (that).

Being around people like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack, all these greats, I was taught to listen and observe.

You can fool people. You can fool anybody anytime of the day, but you can't fool yourself. At night, when you go home, you've got to be straight up with you.