"I did it to myself. It wasn't society... it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing."
-Ray Charles
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"I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.“
-Ray Charles
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"Music is my life, professionally, for nearly 60 years. To be recognized by the academy is still the highest honor."
-Ray Charles
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"What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man."
-Ray Charles
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"Music's been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal."
-Ray Charles
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"My music had roots which I'd dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil."
-Ray Charles
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"Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory."
-Ray Charles
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"I find that classical music helps put me in a place that is very calming and allows me to express emotion through my body. I played clarinet as a child, so I guess I have a bit of a musical ear."
-Diane Kruger
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"Music is my living. I enjoy selling my music."
-James Taylor
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"One time I introduced my orchestra as the Shampoo Music Makers instead of the Champagne Music Makers."
-Lawrence Welk
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"I grew up with classical music when I was a ballet dancer. Now when I have to prepare an emotional scene, to cry or whatever, I listen to sonatas. Vivaldi and stuff. It's just beautiful to me."
-Diane Kruger
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"If you think my music is sentimental and self-absorbed, I agree with you."
-James Taylor
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"The William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh... was the place where Champagne Music was born."
-Lawrence Welk
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