We share something in common with the fabric of the whole universe that connects us.

Ironically, the success I've experienced at country radio has left me ostracized from pop and other formats of radio.

Musicians exist independent of any of the marketing terms or the categorization.

I always knew about as a kid, knew that that particular injury at [my grandfather's] finger had been caused in that disaster that killed his brother-in-law, my grandmother's brother. And he never talked about his own brother's death to me. My mother told me about that and told me about the impact on her family. And that's part of what you hear in the first verse of "Miner's Prayer."

I'll never quit playing country music, or at least acknowledging it, always, as the cornerstone of what I am.

However you arrive at the ability to ignore self-doubt - if you can acquire it or possess it or find it or discover it - move beyond self-doubt.

As an artist, you have to maintain focus and eliminate the distraction of second-guessing yourself based on the opinions of others.