“I'd have no trouble being the barbecue kingpin of America. I'd just add it to all the other things I am: jazz musician, carpenter, architect, engineer and revolutionary.” AmericaTroubleMusicianAddJazzRevolutionaryArchitectEngineersJazz MusicCarpenterBarbecueJazz Musician Author:Bobby Seale
“One of the things I always believed in was my dad came to America and he was a very talented musician, but he couldn't make a living that way so he had to support his family as an auto mechanic which he also loved doing. He was also such a great dad because when I first told him I thought I wanted to go into show business, his response was okay, that's interesting.” WayFirstsShowsWantedAmericaInterestingSupportDadMusicianOkayResponseMy DadMechanicShow BusinessAlways BelieveGreat DadAuto MechanicTalented Musicians Author:Denis Leary
“It's always surprised me that mainstream America had the good taste to like R.E.M. It doesn't have the digestible quality the general public tends to look for in its favorite musicians.” LooksAmericaQualityTasteMusicianMainstreamGood TasteGeneral Public Author:Christopher Bollen
“The musicians, Duke Ellington, his thing was not about separating himself from the rest of America. Louis Armstrong - go to the forefathers of our music - Jelly Roll Morton - they're not preaching a separatist agenda. They're not taking their music and saying, "This is for me."” AmericaMusicianAgendasPreachingDukesSeparatingForefathersArmstrongJelly Author:Wynton Marsalis
“Much of my writing has taken the form of a pilgrimage: to sacred places that represent the best of America, to musicians and other artists who represent the best of their art.” WritingArtAmericaFormArtistTakenMusicianSacredPilgrimageSacred Places Author:William Zinsser
“Essentially, the popular musician in America must learn that his basic job is to entertain people, to make them forget their sorrows for a moment or two; in the same sense that any popular art form must aim at the same distraction value. Any such job as that is basically a young man's business. It takes a young man's energy to go traveling around the country, night after night in a different place, prancing and cavorting around in front of mobs of people all out to try to forget their problems for an evening. And for a young man it can be a good enough way of life, if he happens to like it.” PeopleIfsMenWayTryingArtTwoDifferentCountryEnoughMomentsProblemHappensJobsAmericaFormYoungNightValuesEnergyForgetFrontsSorrowMusicianAimEveningYoung ManGood EnoughDistractionDifferent PlacePopular MusicPrancing Author:Artie Shaw
“I am still very proud of that concert. In America, the (musicians') connection with the conductor is as with management - it becomes political. You cannot conduct properly in this environment. I hate this enemy situation between management and orchestra members.” StillsAmericaPoliticalHateSituationEnemyEnvironmentProudMembersMusicianConnectionsI HateManagementConcertsOrchestraConductor Author:Neeme Jarvi
“If it wasn't for the British musicians, a lot of us black musicians in America would still be catchin' the hell that we caught long before. So thanks to them, thanks to all you guys. You opened doors that I don't think would have been opened in my lifetime. When white America started paying attention to the blues - it started opening a lot of doors that had been closed to us.” IfsThinkingLongHas BeensStillsAmericaGuyBlackWhiteAttentionHellDoorsMusicianLifetimeCaughtBritishOpeningThanksPay AttentionOpened Doors Author:B. B. King
“The music that I play is much more accepted in America. Do you know what I mean? Americans recognize and not necessarily country music. I go to a lot of places in Canada and they go "I don't like country music" and they think I'm a country musician. When I am a country musician but not a country musician like they think of.” ThinkingKnowsMeanCountryPlayAmericaMusicianAcceptedCanadaDo You Know Author:Fred Eaglesmith
“I think certain people would be moved to be nostalgic about America's glory days, when the music set the tone for the cultural conversation and popular musicians had this absurd level of authority.” PeopleThinkingWould BeAmericaCertainLevelsConversationAuthorityMusicianGloryMovedAbsurdToneNostalgicPopular MusicGlory Days Author:David Longstreth
“In America, the poor have been invisibilised, because obviously this model of success that has been held out to the world must not show the poor, it must not show the condition of black people. It can only the successful ones, basketball players, musicians, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell. But I think the time will come when the Occupy movement will have to somehow formulate something more than just anger.” PeopleThinkingWorldHas BeensShowsAmericaBlackPoorSuccessfulPlayerConditionsMovementBasketballMusicianModelsBlack PeopleRiceBasketball PlayerOccupy Movement Author:Arundhati Roy
“My love of R&B and hip-hop has influenced my life not even as a musician, but generally in terms of growing up and looking to America as an inspiration.” InspirationAmericaTermGrowing UpGrowingMusicianHip HopHipsHops Author:James Vincent McMorrow