26 Quotes by Jimmy Scott

When the gig ain't there, you still got to pay the rent. I learned that a long time ago.

In show business, generally you don't retire. If you love it, that is, you're in it forever anyway.

I decided to sing again after settling in Newark in 1982. I had a burning desire to sing and lots of encouragement from my new wife, Earlene.

I was living in New York. Sometimes, our gang of musicians would go to Louis Armstrong's home and play records. It was a lesson, like going to school at night. Ella Fitzgerald was an inspiration, too, a unique artist. When you had an opportunity to be with people like them, you cherished it.

My pug dog, Princess , is something else; she's my baby. I've had her for about 14 and a half years. They usually don't live any longer than 15, but I don't believe that. As long as you treat them right, they will live a long time.

I started out in the 1940s, singing around the clubs of Cleveland, Ohio, where I grew up. There was a woman in showbusiness, a contortion dancer called Estelle 'Caldonia' Young - she was named after the song Caledonia Caledonia.

I've taken regular gigs, I've worked in grocery stores, worked as a dishwasher, a porter in different places, all for survival. I don't feel bad about doing it. I wished I could have done better. And still do.

Show business has always been my life. I love it. I've shared the ups and downs. So it will still be my life. It is a big piece of your life because this is all you know. It just seems like it takes you to such great heights in your life.