I got the idea to write this book one day while having lunch with a friend at the Grill, a restaurant on the lot of Universal Studios. We were talking about the Academy Awards and the time I attended the Awards ceremony in 1998. I went on to tell my friend how I felt that night, sitting there waiting and hoping that our film would win. I remember telling the film's producer that if we won I wanted just five seconds or less to thank my ninety-seven year old Lincoln High School music teacher, Mrs. Maurine F. Bailey in Dallas Texas. She was the first one to make me believe that I could do this. I wanted with all my heart to thank her on national and international television, from the stage of the 70th Academy Awards Ceremony.
There are a few people to whom I would like to express my thanks publicly, for what I feel they have contributed to my growth and maturity as an Artist and as a man. As we finished our lunch, my friend suggested that I should write a book; thank them collectively, in writing. That way, my encounter with, and my gratitude for, these remarkable people will be recorded not only for my own children, but for future generations as well. He encouraged me to write a chapter on each person. During the following weeks, the thought stayed with me, and I hit upon the idea of thanking at least one person for each letter of the alphabet. I wondered if I would be able to honestly express my appreciation for twenty-six people. It was not difficult at all. In fact, in some chapters I thank more than one person whose name begins with that particular letter. With that idea, also came the title of this book:
