Losing my parents was the most crushing thing that ever happened to me. I lost my dad when I was 26 and it changed my life entirely.
'I Know You Care' is about my dad. And I haven't seen him for a long long time. And my parents divorced when I was really young. And I guess I just wanted a - it was my way of saying that I wasn't bitter or angry anymore. I was just sad and just felt like something was missing.
The only day I remember of my parents' marriage was the day my dad walked out. As I stood there at five years old with my older sister and younger brother I knew that he was gone.
My Dad is my hero. He's 85 now and he is in great health. He is handsome and strong. He has an incredible moral and ethical backbone. I couldn't have been luckier with my parents.
Most children - I know I did when I was a kid - fantasize another set of parents. Or fantasize no parents. They don't tell their real parents about that - you don't want to tell Mom and Dad.
Most children - I know I did when I was a kid - fantasize another set of parents. Or fantasize no parents. They don't tell their real parents about that - you don't want to tell Mom and Dad. Kids lead a very private life. And I was a typical child I think. I was a liar.
My parents were working class folks. My dad was a bartender for most of his life my mom was a maid and a cashier and a stock clerk at WalMart. We were not people of financial means in terms of significant financial means. I always told them 'I didn't always have what I wanted. I always had what I needed.' My parents always provided that.
My dad loves what I do and I support my parents financially because they didn't have a job that gave them a pension.
One of the greatest titles in the world is parent and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents to call mom and dad.
Courage is what preserves our liberty safety life and our homes and parents our country and children. Courage comprises all things.
My parents have always been cool. They even became surrogates to friends of mine who didn't have such supportive parents.
So when I got to be about 13 or 14 I started listening - even though my parents music was way cool - to contemporary hard rock at that time which was Aerosmith Cheap Trick Black Sabbath AC/DC Ted Nugent and all that and that's just where I came from.
My parents were vegetarians. I'd show up at school this giant black kid with none of the cool clothes and a tofu sandwich and celery sticks.
My family moved - first to Washington D.C. and then in the spring of 1975 to Lebanon where my father worked as a diplomat at the American embassy. My parents were enthusiastic about the move so my older brother and I felt like we were off to some place kind of cool.
My parents are pretty cool people.
It's cool to have parents and family who will always tell me the truth no matter what. They'll tell me if I'm doing something stupid!
When you're a kid you see your parents reading the newspaper and you're like 'God why are they reading the newspaper?' When you're young you're not reading the newspaper. But there comes a time in your life when the newspaper's cool.