You have to be tough-skinned and willing to accept criticism, and at the same time, just try to do music that you like and you are proud of and not just whatever you think it's going to take to get you on the radio.
I've always wanted to make a bluegrass album.
I don't write all my stuff. Everybody always thinks that. But in just about every album I've ever had has been about 50-50 songs I've written or co-written and other people's songs.
I've had several working-man songs that I like.
A lot of times when songwriters get together and write a song... somebody will come in with a hook and a lot of times they come out with something that sounds a little crafty.
I think I've always approached making albums pretty much the same way. I'm just looking for a mixture of songs and topics that aren't the same thing over and over.
I think every album you have, especially if it's done well, you feel like you're competing with yourself.
I've always stood up for country music.
If you can last until you're 40 years old, hopefully you'll be mature enough to figure out the rest of the years.
I've had to live with women all my life. I grew up with four older sisters, and I was the baby and the only boy.
When I was in high school, I don't know that I really had big dreams.
I mean, my girls are very sweet; I'm very proud of all of of them.
I grew up with nothing, so whenever I got to where I could have something I felt like I needed to have everything I couldn't have when I was young.
It's a scary word, 'cancer.'
You just write about things that happen.
You think a lot of people get to be big stars and get a little crazy, but most of the ones I've ever met have always been surprisingly normal, and I've enjoyed that.
I think if you retire from touring then people think you are retired.
I've always said that if you have songs on the radio and get played, you've got to have a tour to support that.
The music business doesn't take up that much of my time. I probably should put a little more energy into it.
I always try to make the music that I like and think my fans will like.
I mean, my voice has gotten a little deeper sounding as I've gotten older, I think. I noticed that.
If you just do 50 to 60 shows a year, it's not that much time away from home.
The fan base that I've had all these years has come along. Some of them are not as plugged into the digital world, so they want to go out and buy the CD at Walmart or something.
My mother kept asking me, 'When are you going to do a gospel album?' And I've always wanted to do a gospel album. Everybody was going on about it, so mom started hounding me more.
Probably some of the songs I never even really listened to the lyrics. Half of them I'd hear off the radio and was probably singing the wrong words and didn't even know it.
I really was a fan of his and always have been - his writing especially, you know? I think people a lot of times overlook that part, because he kind of got into that party character so heavy.
I could have done a hundred songs, really. It was hard to narrow them down, because I tried to pick songs for the most part that actually did have some effect on me or influenced me in the past.
Hee Haw was probably my biggest exposure to live music at a young age, because there wasn't any live music around my town and no one in my family played instruments.
He's written some great songs. I thought that 'Blues Man' was a perfect song for me to do as a tribute.
For some reason I've been labeled that and it's fine, but there are a lot of other artists that sing real traditional stuff, so I don't know why they picked me. That's what I've always done.
