"The things I really learned, I learned from watching my parents. They take care of business. Always have"
About this Quote
There is a quiet kind of brag in Kevin Eubanks crediting his parents instead of his résumé. Not the flashy “I made it” narrative musicians are expected to deliver, but the sturdier story underneath: the real education wasn’t in lessons, auditions, or late-night jams; it was in watching adults handle life like it mattered. “Take care of business” is deliberately plain, almost unmusical language coming from a musician. That’s the point. He’s naming discipline as the hidden rhythm behind talent.
The subtext is a rebuttal to the romantic myth of artistry as chaos. Eubanks isn’t talking about inspiration descending like lightning; he’s talking about showing up, paying bills, keeping promises, doing the unglamorous work that allows the glamorous work to exist. “Always have” lands like an inherited baseline: steady, dependable, not performative. It suggests that professionalism is less a personal trait than a family culture, absorbed by proximity.
Context matters here because Eubanks’ career spans worlds that reward both virtuosity and reliability: session work, bandleading, television, collaborating across genres. In those ecosystems, the most employable skill is often trust. By framing his parents as his primary teachers, he also sidesteps the ego trap that can come with success. The lesson isn’t merely gratitude; it’s a value system: craft follows character, and longevity follows habits. The quote works because it makes stability sound like a radical choice.
The subtext is a rebuttal to the romantic myth of artistry as chaos. Eubanks isn’t talking about inspiration descending like lightning; he’s talking about showing up, paying bills, keeping promises, doing the unglamorous work that allows the glamorous work to exist. “Always have” lands like an inherited baseline: steady, dependable, not performative. It suggests that professionalism is less a personal trait than a family culture, absorbed by proximity.
Context matters here because Eubanks’ career spans worlds that reward both virtuosity and reliability: session work, bandleading, television, collaborating across genres. In those ecosystems, the most employable skill is often trust. By framing his parents as his primary teachers, he also sidesteps the ego trap that can come with success. The lesson isn’t merely gratitude; it’s a value system: craft follows character, and longevity follows habits. The quote works because it makes stability sound like a radical choice.
Quote Details
| Topic | Parenting |
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