But having said that, I knew my life couldn't be just music. Because of my color, I was representing my race. And I felt the way I could best represent it was to be the best I could be. But a strange thing happens when you are a black performer. Somehow, to many, you are no longer black.
People see the artist first.
It's an odd situation. That's a tough question and one I've thought a lot about. Most of the time, I think I can tell a black voice but not always. Look, Janis Joplin definitely had a black voice, but she was white. And, when I first heard Marilyn Horne on records, I thought she was a black singer.