I guess the only trouble was that George was very slow in getting around to proposing. Several times, I almost proposed to him.

I just sing. I sing whatever I can.

It sure is a nice feeling to know that people will remember you after you're gone, that you'll manage to be a little bit of history.

You simply have to love show business to make the risk worthwhile.

Choir singing's a wonderful thing for what ails you. There's a lot of meaning in a hymn if you think about it when you're singing it.

The night I won at the Apollo, I was only doing it for the $10.

I've always been a Democrat; it runs in my family.

Horns always influenced me more than voices.

I just quit in the third year of high school and started singing at amateur hours.

I don't think I ever modeled myself after a singer. I've more or less copied the styles of horn-tooters right from the start.