In the past, I tried to be more of a typical session guitarist. I wasn't so concerned with impressing anybody.

It just gets easier in that you become more you in the process.

My life would be very puzzling to most people if they had to follow me around for a day or two.

When they say you're the best, I always remember that the majority of the audience probably thinks someone else should have gotten the award.

Willie Nelson, out there 200 days a year, calls his band family. And it is.

I jetset around and play these songs and get to hang with some pretty amazing people, then I go home to a really great farm, though actually it's a disaster area of a farm at the moment. But it's certainly a blast. I wouldn't trade lives with anyone right now.

I really worked to try and be creative enough on the guitar parts so those who aren't real educated would know that there was some difficulty in doing it.

I'm sure there are a few things in my CD collection that might surprise people. I like classical music, the blues, and I'm a big fan of alternative rock.

No one can make the album they made 10 years ago with a straight face. There are two reasons: one is you change as a person. To be a true artist, I have to be true to who I am now and write that way. And the second thing is these are different times.

The nice thing about the world that I've been able to inhabit for the last couple of years is that I'm given a lot of freedom. Not all artists really get that.

With my guys and with the way that we live out there, we work out a lot and try to eat right, but we try to basically keep it our own rhythm and our own world.

That there's no more important decision in life than who you marry.

Deep down, I'm just a West Virginia hillbilly.

Anytime you do something from the heart, people just know it.

Even in your darkest moments, you'll think of something that'll crack you up.

If you fall in love with somebody, then you're not even worried about your bills. Love can take your mind off of anything.

Country music has become the music that best represents the reality of American life.

If you're really on top, you probably didn't do that great, 'cause you have to water it down a bit for it to get that mass appeal.

It comes down to building your own world out here on the road. It's who you surround yourself with. My band and crew are really positive guys.

You look out there and there's people that, their day is changed because of your contribution to it.