If I had done everything I'm credited with, I'd be speaking to you from a laboratory jar at Harvard.

My greatest teacher was not a vocal coach, not the work of other singers, but the way Tommy Dorsey breathed and phrased on the trombone.

You treat a lady like a dame, and a dame like a lady.

The reading of the song is vital. The written word is first always . . . first. Not belittling the music, but it really is a backdrop. To convey the meaning of a song you need to look at the lyric and understand it.

People often remark that I'm pretty lucky. Luck is only important in so far as getting the chance to sell yourself at the right moment. After that, you've got to have talent and know how to use it.

Don’t hide your scars. They make you who you are

You gotta love livin', baby, 'cause dyin' is a pain in the ass.