The biggest question I have is if you're a rock singer or a rock 'n' roll band, or if you're a pop singer if you've made your way in another genre of music and now you want to make a country record, why? That's my question. Why?

Winning the ACM, winning the CMA, my first time on the Opry and having Grammy nominations were all a big deal to me.

Being an entertainer includes knowing how to connect with an audience.

You know, I can be the happiest man in the world with minimal record success.

It doesn't really matter to me what the rest of country is doing. I'm not caught up in trying to make a record that sounds like everybody else. That, to me, is a record label's absolute biggest downfall.

You know, I'd like to sit here and blame everybody else for my trouble. I just can't do that. I can't find it in myself to do it.

The overall physical demand that Iraq has is pretty amazing. It's 130 degrees, and the soldiers are carrying about 100 pounds of extra gear. It's a pretty rigorous schedule and routine for them.