A Quote by Rakim

My mother sang jazz and opera - she even performed at the Apollo on Amateur Night.

Rakim

Quote Topics

Amateur Apollo Even Jazz Mother Night Opera Performed Sang She

Quote Author

Rakim
American - Musician
Born: January 28, 1968

I was a kid, and I remember my mother singing. She was also a radio soap opera actress, but my mother sang.

Ruben Blades

One day, when I was still living at home, a friend told 'Texas' Jean Valli about me. She was originally from Syracuse, N.Y., and lived in New Jersey but sang country. One night, she had me come up on stage where she was performing. I sang 'My Mother's Eyes,' and she was knocked out.

Frankie Valli

I definitely get my artistry and my vocal talent from my mother and mother's side. She sang in a jazz trio band so growing up my dad would always take me to see her play and she has a beautiful voice. When I was little and started to sing, she supported me and let that fire burn. She always knew what it took as a support system.

Zella Day

In my mother's church, everybody read the Bible and it was mostly about music. My mother had the most beautiful voice I have ever heard in my life. She could sing anything - classical, jazz, blues, opera. And people came from long distances to that little church she went to - African Methodist Episcopal, the AME church she belonged to - just hear her.

Toni Morrison

My mother was into opera and my father was into jazz, so there was a lot of jazz in the house where I grew up.

Chaka Khan

When I went to Japan I sang in Japanese; when I went to Greece I sang in Greek. When I went to Spain, I sang in Spanish. I couldn't speak it very well, but I sang, I was beautiful in singing it. These things just constantly attracted people to the uniqueness of who I was and the way in which I performed.

Harry Belafonte

I started out in the Apollo Theater. That's where I got my start. I won Amateur Night four weeks in a row.

Fat Joe

I wrote my own pop songs and sang one of them when I went into a stupid beauty competition when I was 16. That was my public debut, and it made my mother even more determined that I should go into opera!

Kristine Opolais

It came from my mother. She was a singer, and literally every day of the week she sang at a different club in a different genre of music: country, R&B clubs, jazz clubs, church on Sunday morning where she was the music director, pop hits, soft rock. I grew up listening to all this music, so it was never one thing for me.

Robert Glasper

I grew up with singers. My father's mother sang opera. My dad was a big band singer. I can't remember a time there wasn't music in the house, so I grew up listening to great songwriters - George Gershwin, Cole Porter - and my grandma was playing opera for me before I was 3.

J. D. Souther

My father had played cornet, although I never saw him play it. I found his mouthpiece when I was a kid. I used to buzz it. And my mother played piano and sang in the church choir for different functions. So there was always music in the house, jazz, gospel, or whatever. Especially jazz records.

Johnny Griffin

I sang opera, I sang show tunes. I got into a rock band for a while. I've sung a lot of different things.

Tom Wopat

My mother was the dearest, sweetest angel. She didn't talk; she sang. She was a tower of strength.

Jayne Meadows

All the classic jazz players all sang and a lot of 'em sang blues.

Mose Allison

All through the deep blue night The fountain sang alone; It sang to the drowsy heart of the satyr carved in stone. The fountain sang and sang But the satyr never stirred- Only the great white moon In the empty heaven heard.