If you smile through your fear and sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow you'll see the sun come shining through for you.

I was a guinea pig for some hoodlums who thought they could hurt me and frighten me and keep other Negro entertainers from the South.

Although it's been said many times, many ways...Merry Christmas to you!

I'm not playing for other musicians. We're trying to reach the guy who works all day and wants to spend a buck at night. We'll keep him happy.

I may be helping to bring harmony between people through my music.

The Supreme Court is having a hard time integrating schools. What chance do I have to integrate audiences?

Music is emotional, and you may catch a musician in a very unemotional mood or you may not be in the same frame of mind as the musician. So a critic will often say a musician is slipping.