16 years ago:
["To me, he's one of my heroes, and I listen to him probably more consistently than any other artist. I'm just, like, 'Jeez, how come we're not, like, having that kind of moment for Ray that we do for some of our presidents?', and stuff like that. I honor him, I love him, I'm grateful, and I wouldn't be who I am without Ray Charles, nor would any of my peers. And they all know that, and I know it."
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