Anyone who tells you they're not nervous playing on the CMAs stage, I'm afraid they're not telling you the whole story.

Growing up in Louisiana, my grandmother gave me an accordion because of our Cajun heritage. What ended up happening was I started learning about more instruments, so I just kind of went that route. Music's really all I've ever done.

Anyone who tells you they're not nervous playing on the CMAs stage, I'm afraid they're not telling you the whole story.

A bass player has to think and play like a bass player. A drummer has to play and think like a drummer, and stay out of the way of the vocalist. The guitar player has to respect everybody else.

I always loved LeAnn Rimes and especially Clint Black for his soulfulness. As I've gotten older, my influences have broadened - John Mayer, Michael Buble, Stevie Wonder, Keith Urban, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Beatles - all of these artists have somehow been a part of my development as a songwriter.

All I knew when I moved to Nashville was that I wanted to make music in whatever shape and form I could.

When I was in high school, I had binders with pictures of tour buses.