And when you're poor, you grow up fast.

New Orleans is the only city in the world you go in to buy a pair of nylon stockings they want to know your head size.

You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling.

God bless the child that's got his own.

I've been told that nobody sings the word 'hunger' like I do.

Singing songs like 'The Man I Love' or 'Porgy' is no more work than sitting down and eating Chinese roast duck, and I love roast duck.

God has blessed you when he lets you believe in somebody.