Every Color I Can Think

I'm Still Learning, You Know. At 80, I Feel There Is A Lot I Don't Know.

I Learned From Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, The Nicholas Brothers, The Whole Thing, The Whole Schmear. [the Cotton Club] Was A Great Place Because It Hired Us, For One Thing, At A Time When It Was Really Rough [for Black Performers].

I Was Unique In That I Was A Kind Of Black That White People Could Accept. I Was Their Daydream. I Had The Worst Kind Of Acceptance Because It Was Never For How Great I Was Or What I Contributed. It Was Because Of The Way I Looked.

As Much As I Try, When I Open My Mouth, Lena Comes Out, And I Get So Mad.

I've Seen So Much. And I've Heard So Many Great Performers. There Are Performers Now That Couldn't Work Back In The Days When I Came Along.