It's like Duke Ellington said, there are only two kinds of music - good and bad. And you can tell when something is good.

I'd like to think that when I sing a song, I can let you know all about the heartbreak, struggle, lies and kicks in the ass I've gotten over the years for being black and everything else, without actually saying a word about it.

I can't help what I sound like. What I sound like is what i am. You know? I cannot be anything other that what I am.

When I started to sing like myself - as opposed to imitating Nat Cole, which I had done for a while - when I started singing like Ray Charles, it had this spiritual and churchy, this religious or gospel sound. It had this holiness and preachy tone to it. It was very controversial. I got a lot of criticism for it.

I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't been able to hear.

You never can overwhelm an instrument. You will never get out all that's in an instrument. An instrument will bring you to your limits.

Art Tatum -- he was a genius. And Einstein, not me.