He went through changes that ranged from imitating Nat Cole and Charles Brown to finding his own voice in jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, country, pop and soul.
The nuances are still there, but are reflected less in the words but the rhythm and intonation of sentences - the west coast "n'at" - stems principally from Gaelic, whereas the east coast "ken" from the French.
The energy and exuberance in the melody and the attitude of the rhythm are as powerful to me as any rock 'n' roll song, as energizing as any techno dance music, as driving and thrilling as any punk or heavy metal.