The white audiences thought I was white, my features being what they are, and at every performance I'd have to take off my gloves to prove I was a spade.
I found that a couple of bottles of beer would give me a lift, but the third bottle would sober me up.
I could always open shows, perform through the middle, and close shows.
What impressed me most about New York were its huge apartment houses.
I had a probing mind and an elephant memory.
The greatest acts in colored show business had long made Harlem their home and favorite stamping ground.