“Mercer was very clever. He knew the way Southerners spoke and put that...” — Tony Bennett Quote

“Mercer was very clever. He knew the way Southerners spoke and put that into his lyrics. But in that whole era, you had the best. Harold Arlen was just fantastic. Cole Porter was better than anybody, and Gershwin was Gershwin, y'know. Johnny Mercer started Capitol Records, and he brought in Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Nat King Cole.”

“I respected Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. Those were my heroes, and they were 10 years older than I was.”

“In America, at the beginning of talkies, they pulled Fred Astaire from the theaters and put him on the screen and had all of these great composers write songs for him. They call it the Great American Songbook; I call it the Fred Astaire Songbook because they were written for him.”

“Gaga is a gorgeous singer, and when she sings a great ballad, I get goose bumps.”

“As a young boy, I did a lot of foolish things. I made a lot of mistakes. And you live and learn.”

“I've been so fortunate because I never really had ups and downs as far as my career. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I've been sold out all over the world.”

“I know throughout my childhood, there were many times I couldn't stand being a 'Jr.' I wouldn't want anybody else to go through that. If we'd had a boy, he wouldn't have been another Freddie Prinze.”

“I come from a pop background, but I'm also a Puerto Rican and I do feel this music. My approach to salsa is a humble one, and I defy anybody to prove that I'm faking it.”

“I'm not going to bow down to anybody, not going to back away from anybody.”

“I can't imagine anybody who ends up being an artist who didn't pass through a time of geekiness.”

“It doesn't seem right for anybody to get so much attention.”

“When I say I'm the biggest musical act on the face of the planet, I really mean that. I'm in front of tens of thousands of people, millions around the world, performing every week. Is there anybody else that's doing that? I don't think so.”