Les Paul

Of the whole bunch of guys who play hollow body guitar, I think Herb Ellis has the most drive.

You could go out and eat and come back and the note would still be playing.

You can’t go to the store and buy a good ear and rhythm.

I have younger friends who don’t work and they aren’t doing so well. My secret is to keep going, keep working.

This guitar is such a pal. It’s a psychiatrist. It’s a doggone bartender. It’s a housewife. This guy is everything. Whenever I find that I’ve got a problem, I’ll go pick my guitar up and play. It’s the greatest pal in the whole world.

It’s not jazz as we know jazz here in America.

I don’t have a favorite song that I’ve written. But I do have a favorite song: ‘Always on My Mind,’ the Willie Nelson version. If I could sing it like he do, I would sing it every night. I like the story it tells.

I really liked Wynton when I first met him. He’s still a nice young man, only confused.

When you are so strongly drawn to music, you can’t ‘not’ be a musician.

Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I’m happy with that.

I’ve been a jazz artist playing pop and R&B my entire career.

Music used to be essential and meaningful, but now it’s disposable.

I say this because it’s a good message to give to young talents who feel as I used to. You hear musicians playing with great fluidity and complete conception early on, and you don’t have that ability. I didn’t. I had to know what I was doing. And ultimately it turned out that these people weren’t able to carry their thing very far. I found myself being more attracted to artists who have developed through the years and become better and deeper musicians.I believe in things that are developed through hard work.

To this day, I don’t like people walking on stage not looking good. You have to look good. If you feel special about yourself then you’re going to play special.

I’ll play it first and tell you what it is later.

I don’t do something because I think it will sell 30 million albums. I couldn’t care less. If it sells one, it sells one.

In order to be honest with myself, I have to reveal more of who I am. This is a part of the improv process.

I have been doing music all my life so everyday when I get up I expect music will be part of it.

Learn the tunes by playing the masters, learn expression by playing yourself.

If you don’t know what it is, don’t mess with it.

Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.