It was much easier than I thought it would be for Hib [Al Hibbler] to learn songs [when he joined the band in the 1940's], but that was because he has ears that see, and so miracles happened. He learned song after song, and soon he was our major asset--truly a profitable investment, both dollar-wise and for luxury of keeping my ear in deep fat. He had so many sounds that even without words he could tell of fantasy beyond fantasy. Hib's great dramatic devices and the variety of his tonal changes give him almost unlimited range. His capabilities are so many, but I should mention first his clear, understandable enunciation. He can produce a whispering, confidential sound, or an outburst that borders on panic. He will adopt a nasal tone at just the right word and note, or affect a sudden drop to what sounds like the below-compass bass. Cries, laughs, and highly animated calls--he uses them all to make the listener see it as he sees it. Sinatra calls Albert Hibbler and Ray Charles his two ace pilots.