The Moms Behind The Men

"Behind every good man stands a good woman," the saying goes. And often, that man's good woman is his mom.

This week before Mother's Day, CBS This Morning looks at the relationships between three famous fellows and their moms. The fellows: Grant Hill, NBA good-guy; Garth Brooks, country music superstar, and Bill Clinton, president of the United States.

Below is the first in a series of highlights and video clips from Jane Robelot and Mark McEwen's interviews with the moms behind the men. CBS This Morning will air the segments Wednesday, May 6 through Friday, May 8.

(Check back here for more clips and excerpts later in the week.)

Let us now praise famous men and their mothers.

Bill Clinton
No one, says President Bill Clinton, has had a greater influence on his young life than his mother, Virginia Kelley.

It's been four years since her death, and Clinton misses her dearly.

Robelot: "What do you miss the most?"

Clinton: "I think what I miss the most is just being able to pick up the phone and call her. Ya know, every Sunday I used to call her wherever I was. And now, still, sometimes I'll almost impulsively reach for the phone. And then I say, No, no. I can't do that anymore. So I still miss her a lot. But I also have nothing but great memories."

Robelot: "When you look at Bill Clinton and you look at your Mom, Virginia Kelley, what in her do you see in yourself?"

Clinton: "Well, I think she gave me a real democratic outlook on life -- small 'd' democratic. She treated everybody the same. She taught me to be interested in everybody. She taught me that every person has a story. And that everybody's life has equal worth. She taught me to be compassionate about people who've had a tough time, and never be too busy to listen to somebody, and pay a little attention to somebody whom, maybe you would never do so otherwise. And, she taught me to endure against all the odds. To never give up, never give in, and never quit smiling."

Garth Brooks
McEwen: You said before that you're a Momma's boy. What did you mean by that?

Garth Brooks: Well, I just am. Mom still, you know, she can still say something that can lift me higher or put me -- sink me -- down lower than anything. Mom will be the first one to tell you that she's proud of you. And she'll be the first one to tell you that you're fat. You know, that you've gained a lot of weight. That's always been the balance of the house.

Robelot: "The good-guy behavior is no big deal to Grant. He says it's jst the Hill family way."

Grant Hill: "You just try to do the right thing and try to use good judgment. And then you try to do things ... at least I try to do things ... Mom taught me."

Janet Hill: "I don't know that there's any real secret to bringing up kids. Everybody keeps asking Calvin [Grant's father] and me this, because Grant is a pretty decent young man. The only thing we did that some parents don't do is try to spend a lot of time with him."

Weekdays, at 7:00AM ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Back To Mom's The Word

Mother's Little Treasuree
Dearest Moms And Mothers Dearest
Momma Trauma
Nag-Libs
Maternity Through Eternity

Written by Joshua Platt