 Get me well so I can get on television and tell people to stop smoking. |
| I'm not playing for other musicians. We're trying to reach the guy who works all day and wants to spend a buck at night. We'll keep him happy. |
| I'm a musician at heart, I know I'm not really a singer. I couldn't compete with real singers. But I sing because the public buys it. |
| I'm in the music business for one purpose - to make money. |
| It's not the people in the South who create racial problems - it's the people who are governing. |
| Critics don't buy records. They get 'em free. |
| The whites come to applaud a Negro performer just like the colored do. When you've got the respect of white and colored, you can ease a lot of things. |
| People don't slip. Time catches up with them. |
| Only time, education and plenty of good schooling will make anti-segregation work. |
| There's just one thing I can't figure out. My income tax! |
| I make no claim to being a business genius. You can make so much money in this business that it loses its value. |
| The only sport I'm not interested in is horse racing. That's because I don't know the horses personally. |
| If I could read it, I could play it. |
| I am an American citizen and feel I am entitled to the same rights as any other citizen. |
| Primarily I'm a meat man, although once in a while I toy with a few vegetables. |
| I often wonder whether Negroes like myself who are pretty well known help out at all in breaking down barriers. |
| For years the Trio did nothing but play for musicians and other hip people. We practically starved to death. |
| The people who know nothing about music are the ones always talking about it. |
| The Supreme Court is having a hard time integrating schools. What chance do I have to integrate audiences? |
| I can't bear to see myself even in movies. The feeling is complex. I can't stand the sight of myself. |
