Musician

I want to sit in my own sorrow, cry it out, talk to God, and say, 'Give me strength, wisdom.'

I'm 63 now, and I need to take care of myself so that I can continue to perform at my best.

If we start putting music out constantly where people don't think no more, people go crazy. We're gonna lose the love of heart, of soul. And if the world lose that, I think the world is doomed.

Honestly, I've been excited for music ever since I was 16 years old. I'll always love the music.

James Brown came from that hard, rough life that I came from. He took the blues and added rhythm to it. And he always had the most funkiest band; I liked the way he took his words and mixed it in with the band.

Peforming as James Brown, I didn't really have to go deep in my soul the way I do as Charles Bradley.

Give your love and never change. Be willing to die for the love you carry inside.

With James Brown, I just learn the lyrics and then get out there and get funky with it and let my spirit free. But doing Charles Bradley, it's a lot of true, intimate words coming out of me that show me the picture inside myself.

What I hope is if you turn on the news tonight, I want to find a way to stop all this corruption I see.

I was 14, and I left on my own. Living in a subway train, and police used to come in with a nightstick and say, 'You can't sleep here.' I'd get up and go across the street, get on another train, and go back the other way.

I just love dancing. When the music is really hitting my soul, then I really want to get into it.

Everybody tell me everywhere I go that I'm the closest thing to James Brown they ever seen.

A real good artist learns to be a better person through all the changes they've been through. They keep their loving and honesty growing and learn to look at the world and not be full of hatred.

I've always been a person who wanted to withdraw from the world, because the changes I've been through, I just don't want to go through anymore.

I was born in America. I was raised in America. And America truly has done me a lot of dirt, a lot of horrible things that I never will forget, but I know this is where I was born at.

If you're a real person, I don't care if you blue - I'm going to be your friend. Everybody's tired of all of the hatred and animosity. I just want to live.

My grandmother always told me that regardless of what the world gives you, stay humble. Stay strong in your beliefs, and be honest. And when you're wrong, be a man and say you're wrong. And be strong when you're right.

My faith in God is totally... there's nothing on this planet that can change my faith and love for God. Because I believe that's who kept me strong, who kept me going through all the darkness and brought me through the darkness into the light.

I go out of my way to acknowledge the public and let them know that I'm not always on stage. Offstage, I care. I live their life.

When I feel it, I got it, 'cause, like, on 'Changes,' I didn't never know what that song was, never knew who it was or who did it, but Tom Brenneck asked me to do that song.