I am the innovator. I am the originator. I am the emancipator. I am the architect of rock 'n' roll!

I tried to look presentable for a show, but not for sexual attraction. It was strictly for show business.

It's not the size of the ship; it's the size of the waves.

Like, my mother would have company over, and I would sing so they'd pay attention to me.

I also like the banging piano - that old good-time piano.

I think they saw me as something like a deliverer, a way out. My means of expression, my music, was a way in which a lot of people wished they could express themselves and couldn't.

And I'd like to give my love to everybody, and let them know that the grass may look greener on the other side, but believe me, it's just as hard to cut.