B. J. Thomas

I love to record, I love the studio, but you love to play your music live.

You try to say, 'I'm not a Christian artist, I'm an artist who's a Christian.' But public perception puts limits on who is going to accept your music.

My Christian faith has sustained me.

I had low self-esteem.

The Opry was my boyhood inspiration. It's something I've always wanted to do.

Joining the Opry is a dream-come-true.

Even if I never had any music success, I would still have a great family, a great marriage. And that's who I am.

You don't know when you are young how important some decisions are.

My dad, God bless him, had his problems and transferred them over to me. He was a huge hero to me, and I wanted to be just like him.

That Portuguese language is so beautiful when it is sung and even spoken.

I made my first trip to Brazil in 1974.

I've been very fortunate.

I'm from the generation where when we recorded 'Hooked On A Feeling,' we did my vocal live to track. It was all live.

Is 'Raindrops' a country song? I think it's a little bit of a stretch, but OK.

If I don't have a record out, I'm pretty quiet.

I've always been kind of a low-key guy.

All I am is just another guy.

That's been a real positive, wonderful thing that's a part of the music that I've been a part of - making someone lift their head up or making someone feel OK.

We've always tried to do the right thing as far as getting our music out and encouraging people with positive music.

I try to be positive.

I'm an upbeat person, especially when I'm onstage and when I'm involved with my music.

If I'd never had a hit record, I still would have had a wonderful life because of Gloria, and our children and now my grandchildren.

The only songs I would learn were songs that moved me emotionally.

I go down to South America every four or five years or so.

When I was a teenager I sang with some of my buddies.

I think the black R&B singers of my day were the best singers of my generation.

Hopefully, one day, I'd like to settle down with my own gospel recording company.

My home life and my Christianity have made me stronger.

I had had eight hits on the Top 20 chart before 'Raindrops,' but they were soon forgotten and so was I. Before that song, I was successful at selling records, but I was never a somebody.

I think accepting Christ as your personal savior is the only way to have peace and real happiness in your life.

People sometimes begin to hide who they really are and they put on their friends. They don't realize what they're covering up is what the Lord made.

I always enjoyed singing country - my first hit was country.

I don't even remember what happened from 1968 to 1972.

I never put my heart into anything I don't believe in, or can't feel personally.

I feel like I did a lot to open the doors for people like Amy Grant and other gospel singers who want to sing mainstream music.

The lines and distinction between what's considered country and what's considered pop have really changed over the years.

The best way to give my testimony is to sing songs in praise of Jesus Christ.

Actually my biggest heroes were the R&B singers like Jackie Wilson and Bobby Bland and people like that.

The label I was on had Dionne, The Shirelles and several other R&B artists. I loved guys like Ray Charles and I tried to convey that soulful sincerity that they had.

I know that Gloria and I being together became the most important thing to me.

I've had a lot of hits in the business.

Music for me is an emotional thing.

I developed a style with my own earmarks.

I've got country in my musical roots.

I'm not a traditional country artist, but I do think I'm in the tradition of people like Jim Reeves and Marty Robbins.

I'm hard-pressed to be country enough for country and pop enough for pop.

I've always been a pop artist.

We were thinking of an excuse to go into the studio - me and Allan Schwartzberg and Bob Mann, my two guys I've recorded with so much in New York City. We said, 'Man, let's make an album of Brazilian music just for ourselves, if nothing else.' So we made it.

Brazilian music is some of the most beautiful music on the planet.

Houston had a great history and a great scene.