I didn't know to be as terrified as I should have been, ... I was sort of sent to the edge and told to jump off.

Of course I'm glad I've become known for other things, but I'm not ashamed of my past. I look back on those times as being very exciting for me as a performer and, in fact, I still sing some of those songs today.

To me, singing is basically a form of prayer. I get this great joy when I'm singing - whatever I'm singing. I missed it when I left it.

For years, people kept saying to me, 'You have such a big voice, you should go into theater.' I was an extremely shy performer and I had never done any theater, not even a high school play,

The gypsy in my soul is living on the road again, ... When I first started my career, I was on the road for about five or six years straight, not living anywhere. Thirty-three years later, I've come full circle.

I did frequently refer to my war record in World War II, but not in any flamboyant way.