A long apprenticeship is the most logical way to success. The only alternative is overnight stardom, but I can't give you a formula for that.

If you hear something you like, and you're halfway like the public, chances are they'll like it too.

Ray Cummins is my good friend and one of the best finger pickers around.

Everyone has their own sound, and if you're heard enough, folks will come to recognize it. Style however, is a different thing. Try to express your own ideas. It's much more difficult to do, but the rewards are there if you're good enough to pull it off.

When I was a little boy, I told my dad, 'When I grow up, I want to be a musician.' My dad said: 'You can't do both, Son'.

You shape your own destiny.

The last song I recorded with [Hank Williams, Sr.] was "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive." I remember thinking, "Hoss, you're not just jivin'," because he was so weak that all he could do was sing a few lines and then just fall in the chair.