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My mother wrote lyrics and sang but was overtaken by life with four children and worked.

When I was a child, next to my own mother, no woman that ever lived took as much interest in me, gave me as much motherly advice or seemed to love me more than did Sister Snow. I loved her with all my heart, and loved her hymn, 'O My Father.'

The first song that I ever recorded was written by my mother.

I've been writing songs all my life. My mom said I wrote my first song when I was two.

One thing I am certain of is that, if I have done anything good in music, it was, first, because of my father, and second, because of my wife.

My father had a passion for love. It's mostly what he talked about in his songs, and I still have his old records today.

The first song I wrote was called 'You,' and it was a love song about somebody who didn't even exist.

I'm in my father's car at age 9 or 10 crying to Leonard Cohen's 'Famous Blue Raincoat,' thinking that you could write nearly a love letter to a man who betrayed you by having an affair with your wife. I was thinking how wonderful and pure music can be for explaining situations.

Lyrically, there's a lot of songs that are influenced by my wife. They're about my wife and I.