For a time, at least, I was the most famous person in the entire world.

Well, I couldn't play an instrument. I'd just stand up front and announce the numbers. They had me sing a little, but that was a horrible mistake. I can't carry a tune in a bucket. We played black theaters and nightclubs all over hell. One-nighters. Apollo Theater in Harlem and the Earle Theater in Philly - That was big time for blacks.

One chance is all you need.

People come out to see you perform and you've got to give them the best you have within you.

It's like having a pet dog for a long time. You get attached to it, and when it dies you miss it.

Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.

If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard. The thrill of competing carries with it the thrill of a gold medal. One wants to win to prove himself the best.