The first time I heard Clyde McPhatter singing with the Dominoes at the Apollo I just fell off my chair

I did a little bit to raise the dignity and recognition of the greatness of African-American music.

I became a jazz fan quite early and never went off the path thereafter.

I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day, every day, for about 40 years and it never occurred to me it'd kill me. If I'd have continued it might have killed me. My doctor said I should stick to wine.

My father was a very religious person. And he prayed five times a day. And he did that throughout his relationship with Ataturk - at a time when it was very brave to do because Ataturk was cutting off the heads of the imams. And people thought that that was foolhardy of my father.

Everyone felt like they knew Ray Charles and in a way they did, because he was embodied by his music.

Whenever a songwriter writes a big hit, then the next 20 songs they write - no matter how bad they are - get recorded.