It's not about battling the original artists when I record these songs, it's about paying tribute to them.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of honoring original artists rather than competing with them.
Etta James expresses a sentiment that when she performs songs originally created by other artists, her intention is not to overshadow them or engage in rivalry, but to pay homage and show respect for their artistry. This reflects a deep appreciation for the creative contributions of others and highlights the collaborative spirit of music as an art form.
In practice
This is a great quote to use when discussing the importance of musical influence during a lecture.
Jazz took too much discipline. You have to come in at the right place, which is different than me singing the blues, where I can sing, 'Oh, baby,' if there's a pause in the melody. With jazz, you better leave that space open, or put in something real cool.
I figured I could do "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World" because I believe it's the truth.
I wanna show that gospel, country, blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll are all just really one thing. Those are the American music and that is the American culture.
The only time that I am really truly happy—when I feel at my best—is when I'm on the stage.
When I'm singing the blues, I'm singing life.
People always say 'Etta, you know what your problem is? You're neither fish nor fowl. There is no place to rack you.' When I would go in a record shop, you might find one or two records by me in different stacks.
I don't believe people playing rock n' roll should have crowns. We're not kings and queens. Anybody can play it.
Our songs did not transcend being R&B hits. They were R&B hits that white kids were attracted to. And if people bought it, it became rock & roll. That's marketing. Why couldn't it still be R&B? The bass pattern didn't change. The song didn't change. It was still 'Yakety Yak' and 'Searchin'.'
Punk is musical freedom. It's saying, doing and playing what you want. In Webster's terms, 'nirvana' means freedom from pain, suffering and the external world, and that's pretty close to my definition of Punk Rock.
Yes, you've got to sing from the depths of the heart.
My mom had early rap records, like Jimmy Spicer. In the middle of the records was a turntable and a receiver - I used to scratch records on it - and on top was a reel-to-reel. In front of that wall were more stacks of records. It was either Mom's record or Pop's record, and they had their names on each and every one.
I grew up on Hip Hop, it's the music I love and it's the music I respect. I respect the culture...that's me.
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