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" My grandmother had many children. She lost most. So when we came along, we were really special. I was the first grandchild that could see her spirit moving to a new generation. "

Taj Mahal

Moving

Children

She

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" My grandparents on my father's side came to this country from the Caribbean with a strong connection to Africa and no shame about it. "

" The blues is played everywhere. There's no place I've been where they don't have blues or aren't interested in blues. "

" It's just like heirloom tomatoes; this is heirloom music. We used to have all kinds of diversity in our poultry, in our vegetables, in our fruits, and slowly but surely the monoculture beast comes in. I'm saying that's not a good idea. And if it means that I gotta do it on my own, then I do it on my own. "

" Naw, it - it never stops, man... You gotta be doing what you're supposed to be doing - whenever, however it's coming down, you know. If you're getting your butt kicked - you still gotta do what you gotta be doing. "

" Music is like the soul of the planet. "

" What you have to understand is that blues... it's in a line from the oldest forms of African music. If you're playing it like it's an echo of the past, it would be a lot less exciting, but this music lives today. "

" Particularly with the blues, it's not just about bad times. It's about the healing spirit. "

" I pretty much move around wherever I like. "

Taj Mahal

Wherever

Pretty

" I've got tons more stuff to do. "

Taj Mahal

Tons

Stuff

" Ziggy Marley is the third generation of Marleys I know. I knew his grandmother and his dad - I did a children's album with his grandmother. They're like family. "

Taj Mahal

Children

Family

" I haven't worn one for a long time, but I look pretty good in a suit. "

" I'm old enough to chew my peas and corn without choking. "

" In looking out into the world, it didn't look all that nice out there. And who were the nice people? Certainly Mahatma Gandhi was. "

" I just worked my own personal thoughts into my music, and just kept at it until I found a way in. "

" My perspective is cultural and world-based. It's always been a global perspective. "

" If what you're talking about is seeing someone perform, then I'll have to say that in the rhythm-and-blues side of things, seein' Otis Redding live was it, you know? "

" As a youngster, my parents made me aware that all that was from the African Diaspora belonged to me. So I came in with Caribbean music, African music, Latin music, gospel music and blues. "

Taj Mahal

Parents

Caribbean

" The one thing I've always demanded of the records I've made is that they be danceable. "

" I'm doing exactly what I should be doing, every day on the road. "

" The song of the blues, the song of the music, was something a lot of people missed out on. They thought they had to swagger a certain way or bark at the mic, and you don't have to do that. "

" I came up not understanding that a lot of people didn't start to hear music until they went to college or were turned on by an older brother or sister. "

" When I was 5 or 6, I was messing around with the piano, and I listened to everything from Chopin to boogie-woogie. "

" As a kid, I always felt connected to Africa; it was something I was very proud of. "

" All the music that I play today, I actually heard either at home or in my neighborhood when I was growing up in the '40s and '50s. "

Taj Mahal

Growing Up

Home

" My parents grew up during the Harlem renaissance. "

Taj Mahal

Parents

Grew

" When I was a kid, there was so much talent outside of recorded music. "

" If the Rolling Stones are playing a concert across town, that's not my audience anyways. But I do find that there's a lot of people coming back around to see me again. "