Vocalists Quotes

My first concert was Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey.

When it comes to the stage, I can't help but be inspired by people like George Clinton, Elton John and Alice Cooper.

There are so many great singers out there.

My favourite singers are people like R. Kelly and people like that.

I didn't even respect singers until I heard Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong.

I listened to a lot of Michael Jackson growing up. A lot of Boyz II Men. I loved Mariah Carey. Just big vocalists. I was always that kid who just wore whatever and did whatever.

I'm probably the only one in the world you can name that's worked with Billie Holiday, Louie Armstrong, Ella, Duke, Miles, Dizzy, Ray Charles, Aretha, Michael Jackson, rappers. 'Fly Me to the Moon' was played on the moon by Buzz Aldrin. Sinatra. Paul Simon. Tony Bennett. I'm the only one.

I go back to, like, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Elvis. I listen to everything.

The best vocalists I can think of are female.

I'm always amazed by the people who work on stage who sing night after night, day after day, week in week out.

Being around people like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack, all these greats, I was taught to listen and observe.

I learned by watching Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand.

I like the big bombastic singers, but I'm also very drawn to what I call character singers. They're people who obviously aren't very huge singers, but they've got this ability to tell a story and touch you emotionally without really using any kind of histrionics or special effects.

Sarah Vaughan was the Charlie Parker of the vocalists during the 1950s.

It's easier to collaborate with instrumentalists than singers; they know exactly the sound that I need.

I listened to everything. To the early Motown groups - the Four Tops and the Temptations - to Johnny Mathis, Gloria Lynne - my sisters loved her. Sarah Vaughan. Everything.

I know singers; I've worked with some of the greatest singers in the world.

I remember watching the Three Tenors at the World Cup in 1990, and it was amazing. They made opera accessible to the man in the street.

I respected Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. Those were my heroes, and they were 10 years older than I was.

When I was young, I never bought records because my brother Joseph played saxophone and had a record player. I loved listening to his records: The Dorsey Brothers, Duke Ellington, all the big American jazz bands, and vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Ernestine Anderson, and Kitty White, a singer from the US who was a friend of Nina Simone. Nobody in America seems to know about her, but she was quite popular in South Africa.

It's not like I'm the first man ever to do this, y'know? You gotta go back to Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and Sammy Davis Jr. Those are people who've done music well and movies well, and y'know, Frank Sinatra and Elvis and all these dudes have made the transition. I don't know about Elvis, 'bout doin' 'em good, y'know? It's nothin' new.

Don't get me wrong: I love a massive show with dancers and the works, and I love Zumba! But I just want there to be more people who just sing.

I know a lot of a cappella groups, but none of them are doing backflips while singing, for sure.

When I listen to Michael Buble, it's exciting; it's inspiring. I feel the same way with Michael Feinstein or Ryan Adams.

I think that live shows are more important for singers than composers, because composers still get a lot of recognition as compared to a singer.