The jazz boom was goin' on then so there was a lot happenin' in New York at that time.

I start out with words, with the idea, the line. Then after I get a line or two, I try to find what melodic line those lines would be suited to. As soon as I find the form I can finish the song in my head.

I finally decided if I was going to make a living, I was gonna have to come to New York.

I didn't feel anything [frustraiting]. I just kept working 110 or 120 nights a year.

I went through the whole number, you know. The swing era, the boogie woogie era, the bebop era. Thelonious Monk is still one of my favorites. So a lot of these people had their effect on me.

I never thought I was playing black music. I was just playing music, the stuff I liked. I sang blues at parties and things when I was a kid.

I don't care what anyone does, as long as they go through the copyright office.