Musician

He's written some great songs. I thought that 'Blues Man' was a perfect song for me to do as a tribute.

I like to write sad songs. They're much easier to write and you get a lot more emotion into them. But people don't want to hear them as much. And radio definitely doesn't; they want that positive, uptempo thing.

A country song is a song about life.

If you just do 50 to 60 shows a year, it's not that much time away from home.

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'm usually just enjoying life.

It's a scary word, 'cancer.'

I think every album you have, especially if it's done well, you feel like you're competing with yourself.

I mean, my voice has gotten a little deeper sounding as I've gotten older, I think. I noticed that.

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.

I mean, I am driven and laid-back at the same time.

The older you are, I think you realize what you enjoy and what you don't need, what wears you out and what's important.

What I enjoy doing more than anything is, I have my little antique car collection, and when the weather is pretty I like to get out one of my old cars. I have a little route I run down in the country, down Nachez Trace Parkway. The loop down through there is just really relaxing, not much traffic.

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.

You just write about things that happen.

The music business doesn't take up that much of my time. I probably should put a little more energy into it.

Making music is still what keeps a fire going on in me.

I didn't realize until I was older what a huge music fan my daddy really was, and actually that my grandma played banjo at one time, and I didn't even know that until a year or two ago.

Oklahoma's always been good to me.

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.