"I don't think I'm a genius. I just sing the way I feel."

"I don't like to talk about myself. I just like to sing."

"I don't dig that 'happy' jazz. I like to hear a guy play his horn, and I want to hear what he's thinking."

"I never had a lesson in my life. I never learned to read music. I can't read music. I play by ear, and I sing by ear."

"It's like being a hooker. You stand there and you sing, and then you get paid. That's all it is."