Charles Bradley

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 was learning 'Changes' at the time that my mom was sick and she was leaving me. And those last verses in that song, they really struck my soul, totally.

When I got out of Job Corps, I was an empty shell. I didn't know what to do with myself.

James Brown really taught me a lot - his lyrics and his performance and whatever he does when he's onstage. I'll always call him a legend, and I'll always respect what he did.

America has been a very cold place to me, and it was good once in a while. I meet good people. Sometimes I meet bad people. But there are some things that I still haven't forgotten today that hurt that bad.

Back in the day, I was afraid to speak out. When I get music behind me, it feels like I can soothe the hurt and put it in vocals and say it to the room the way I feel it.

I did a CD way back in 1989, but I never got it off the ground.

I always try to get in the back of the audience because people really want to get close to me, and I want to get close to them.

I lived in the streets for three years when I was a kid, and every day, I didn't know where my next meal would come from.

I've never been married. I'm married to my music.

I'm trying to stay focused - trying to open up again - and the music really did a lot of greatness for me and meeting a lot of people that really had concern and compassion for me.

I'm trying to find a home that I can come home to, and there's no stress or pressure to be scared to be in your own house.