Quotes

[on recording trouble with wax cylinders, around 1921] The tuba player and myself had to sit way back in the studio because when you blow notes out of the tuba it's too loud - the needle would jump off the cylinder and they'd have to start all over again. Same with the banjo. So I brought up the idea one morning of bringing my guitar to the studio and Sam [Lanin] put me under the horn. Visualize the great big horn and dog you see advertised by the Victor phonograph company; well that's what we had. That was the beginning of my playing guitar on record dates.

When you're in show business you never know about a song until you sing it for the public. Every songwriter thinks that every song he writes is great, but this isn't true until the public buys it. They are the ones who decide.

We came from a very poor family and in those days money was scarce.. my brother [Frank] would take me along to perform in weddings, christenings saloons and streetcars. I'd pass the hat around - anything to make a dollar so we could help the family along.