From the early 1960s to this very day, Stax recording artist William Bell has crafted soul classics with a clarity, passion and grit that is truly unparalleled. Last week I sat in the backstage of the Dakota with the soul legend and discussed soul music with him. It was a dream come true.

Bell may not be a household name, but he is an integral part of the soul music story, writing songs like "Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday," "Forgot to Be Your Lover" and many more. William Bell has also been experiencing a renaissance. He released the Grammy Award-winning record This Is Where I Live in 2016, and he says he now has a three-generation fanbase.

Listen to our conversation to hear William Bell talk about writing the first song that became a national hit for him, ("You Don't Miss Your Water") his experience of sitting by Booker T. Jones' home piano and finishing "Born Under a Bad Sign" on a twelve-hour deadline. Plus you can hear what William Bell made of Prince when he caught him in the late '70s at a club in Georgia.

I also praised Bell for how incredible his entire generation of soul musicians were, and his explanation of their work inspired me: "We wrote about life and we wrote about things that were happening in the times that we were living in then — the Civil Rights struggle and all the other things. People, they needed that assurance that everything was gonna be alright. They could have escapism for going to concert for four hours and listen to a bunch of people singing before they go back into the world and face the reality ... as an artist we had a responsibility to put forth the best quality stuff that we did, because we were influencing a lot of people."

Powerful words indeed. Thank you William Bell.