John Erskine

Playing gives me as much good feeling now as it did when I was a bitty kid.

I still love the whole history of Jazz. The old things sound better than ever.

The greatest moments of the human spirit may be deduced from the greatest moments in music.

I started as a writer and when I sent my demos out everyone wanted to know who was singing and if that person wanted a record deal.

Don’t say Aretha is making a comeback, because I’ve never been away!

You only get better by playing.

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.

I didn’t know the right names for anything at first, but I knew what knocked me out. Changes… man I dug.

The deeper you get into the music allows the ability to appreciate art and all other forms of expression.

I’ve noticed that the more adventurous and in that mode that I am, it seems that the more the audience really likes it.

Blues is a tonic for whatever ails you. I could play the blues and then not be blue anymore.

I’ve been married twice. Most women would rather not be married to a traveling blues singer.

Jazz came to America three hundred years ago in chains.

Invest yourself in everything you do. There’s fun in being serious.

Life is not about finding our limitations, it’s about finding our infinity.