Musician Quotes

I am so envious of my colleagues from 100 years ago who only sang new works, they hardly ever sang revivals.

Having to travel so much plays havoc with your personal life.

For years, I had no time for exploratory travel.

For my own singing, I used to be attracted by the baroque, the flashier the better, but now I prefer a simpler, purer style.

For a while it was hard for me to say no to work.

Every singer eventually gets around to a Christmas disc.

Contrary to the norm, as my technique improved my voice became higher.

Certainly, jazz has become more of a niche, which is surprising, because it's our music. It's the national music of America.

Being steeped in the process of learning and exploring keeps me from becoming too nervous. Partly it's about not getting bored.

Because everything about the voice interests me, I felt it would be fascinating to learn a completely different style of singing.

At this stage in my career, I don't have to take any big risks. You want to take a calculated risk, not one that leads to people saying 'yes, but there was that one time when she made that big mistake.' It's always a shame when that happens, especially if you've gotten by for decades without anythin

A lot of performers don't want to leave the circuit, the European opera house circuit, partly because most singers don't sing many concerts, or at least not while they are in their prime.

I have not changed with the accomplishments. I've remained the same. If I had changed, great. You know, but I haven't.

I have a certain image that's more classic, and I'm happy to stay out of the fray.

I've spent hours and hours doing research into Appalachian folk music. My grandfather was a fiddler. There is something very immediate, very simple and emotional, about that music.

Everybody's a work in progress. I'm a work in progress. I mean, I've never arrived... I'm still learning all the time.

We're all looking for those moments - a relief. That's why people go out and treat themselves.

To me, the blues is an infection. I don't think it's necessarily a melancholy thing; the blues can be really positive and I think I think anyone and everyone can have a place for the blues. It need not always a woeful, sorrowful thing. It's more reflective; it reminds you to feel.

There are no Kleenex boxes on these loops, just so you know.

The value of friends has always been a natural thing. I prefer too many to too few.

That creates the magic, and that's the wonderment of the musical process and how precious that is.

No matter what - rehearsed, under-rehearsed, over-rehearsed, doubts about rehearsing - the first gig is always the first gig, and you put on your little praying hat, batten down the hatch, and do what you do.

My template for most songs is 'Is this inspiring?' and with the blues it so often is.

Life is a glass of wine and having your feet washed - it's a biblical event, might I add. This is part of mankind's story. You are always looking for a moment to take a break.

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.

In order to run a great business, you must know that a bunch of really intrinsically unhappy people, that's not a recipe for success. Don't be anywhere you don't need to be; it's just like that.

If you were to ask me, 'What the hell does a musician have in common with a restaurant?' I would say a huge amount. It's show time every day, it's a team of people, like, running a circus, which is running a rock-and-roll band.

I really understand what that process is all about and how important it is, especially with young folk and creative folk that love looking for some platform that makes it easier for them to express themselves.

I love wearing a lot of color, and I am majorly into scarves. I'm the Beau Brummell of Fleetwood Mac, no doubt.

I keep fit, I work out, I eat pretty damn well, I don't drink like a fish, and all of those things are tempered with a holistic mind-set that you need to damn well respect the vehicle that you're walking around in.