And I can say this, most of the people who have recorded my songs are songwriters themselves.
As a kid, this is what I wanted my life to be. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever dare to dream that it would be this.
As human beings, we're very materialistic and have all this stuff - furs and cars and diamonds and money.
Coming from the showbiz world, I'm especially aware of the spotlight that is brought on artists that are in the public eye.
Drugs are in every walk of life - doctors, lawyers, preachers, the guy who works for IBM, teenagers on the street, teenagers in school.
Even if I don't release it myself, somebody else might hear it and want to record it. When you write a song, it gives it that potential.
First of all, you being a young person are making your own music and you love my music enough to include it in your own.
Had I not come out with an inspirational CD, you perhaps would have never known that I feel like I feel, that all songs, all the music I've ever done is a gift from God.
I always try to write a song, I never just want to write a record.
I don't ever balk at being considered a Motown person, because Motown is the greatest musical event that ever happened in the history of music.
I had been stockpiling Gospel songs for other artists, and had planned to submit them to Gospel artists.
I know everybody in the gospel world just like I know everybody in the secular world.
I left Motown because of the regime of people who were there.
I played golf all over Detroit.
I really haven't strayed too far, musically, from my roots.
I've been speaking at churches for years, as well as juvenile jails, rehabs and hospitals, and I always talk about my faith. That is a declaration of my relationship with God.
I've known God since I was a child, growing up in the ghetto section of Detroit.
In fact, I wouldn't really call this a Gospel album, I call it more an inspirational album.
Motown will always be a heavy-duty part of my life because those are my roots.
My mother was a churchgoing lady, so I always heard about God at home.
Now I'm a believer in the hereafter, so I know that when you leave this place, none of the stuff you've accumulated is going.
Once you're a Motown artist, that's your stigmatism, and I was there from the very first day.
Once you're a Motown artist, you're always a Motown artist.
One thing I can say about the Motown acts is that we were a family. That's not a myth.
Originally I was not writing songs for myself.
People still look at Michael Jackson as being a Motown artist.
So I wanted to sing inspirational music, and that's exactly how I approached it - only the words have been changed to declare my relationship with God.
Some songs have to do with my personal relationship with the Lord, others are about certain situations that I've gone through.
Songwriting is my gift from God.
That's because we did not set out to make black music. We set out to make quality music that everyone could enjoy and listen to.
The only thing you're taking out of here is your spirit and your soul, so we need to be conscious to try and develop that part of ourselves, because we're all spiritual creatures.
There are very few courses around Detroit I haven't played.
There's so many wonderful gospel people out there, and I don't necessarily want to compete with those people.
We're all going to be victims of temptation at several points in our lives.
We're very physical creatures, and we worry about how we look sometimes more than our spiritual selves.
When someone picks up one of my songs and records it, I'm a flattered man, it's a blessing to me.
When you write a song, a song has longevity.
You know what, I'm probably one of the most blessed people there's ever been, and I thank God for it.
You know what, life is full of temptations.
He is the spokesman of the "Great American Smokeout", which takes place one week before Thanksgiving.
He was once the protege of Berry Gordy.
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