My dad was a self-taught stride piano player. The myth is - I don't whether it's true or not - that he taught himself to play by watching a player piano.

I sang and wrote songs when I was 12 years old.

All the classic jazz players all sang and a lot of 'em sang blues.

There's a few tunes of mine that don't have jokes, but most of them have a joke and they have a humorous point of view somewhere.

A young man ain't nothin' in the world these days

Everybody cryin' mercy / When they don't know the meaning of the word.

I been getting good crowds. It only took 50 years.