Gregory Porter’s life was transformed by the advice of his dying mother.

The 50-year-old singer has revealed that was urged to be more “risky” by his mother Ruth two days before she died of cancer.

He recalled: “I was trying to assure my mother when she was sick that I would be as normal and regular as possible.

“I told her I’d always wear brown shoes to work, and not to worry, but she was like, ‘No! Wait a minute – don’t forget about those flowery slippers that you have!'”

Gregory was just 21 at the time, and the advice of his mother ultimately encouraged him to pursue his music ambitions.

He told The Independent: “She said to me: ‘Your singing voice is the best thing you have, so don’t forget it.’ I was trying to assure her that she did a good job, that she raised a stand-up, regular guy and she was like, ‘No! Be risky!’ And so I took that.”

By contrast, Gregory’s dad, Rufus, was largely absent from his life during his younger years.

And it was only during his funeral that he learned that his dad also had an incredible singing voice.

The ‘Holding On’ hitmaker shared: “He did give me something, and I’m getting the sweetness out of it now. It was a sad thing for more than 30 years but now I’ve managed to flip the script on that and turn it into a positive.

“I can now say that he did give me something that feeds my family.”

Gregory previously revealed that he only ever spent “a few days” with his dad.

He shared: “I hung out with him just a few days in my life. And it wasn’t a long time. He just didn’t seem to be completely interested in being there. Maybe he was, I don’t know.”