I grew up not liking my father very much. I never saw him cry. But he must have. Everybody cries.

There only have been two people on this earth that I was nervous around: Chet Atkins and Mickey Mantle. It's because of the respect I have for them.

Fans are what make a performer and I've always taken them seriously.

Any entertainer who tells you that the adoration of fans is not a heady experience probably never had the experience.

I'm not James Brown. I'm not Sam Cooke. I'm Charley Pride. I'm just me and that's what you got.

Early in my career I began receiving letters from a woman in the Midwest who claimed to be my mother.

In 20 years I had sold more records for RCA than any artist except Elvis Presley.