I grew up like a lot of country boys and girls do - amongst the pine trees, dirt roads, farms, mules and people who were real.

I love Tennessee, but they don't have the pine trees and the sandy soil and the black water that I grew up around.

My first full year of touring, I did 300 days on the road. That was not including the travel time or publicity or anything else - that was just dates. I was home probably less than 50 days that year.

Singing allowed me to express myself in ways that I wouldn't be able to do otherwise.

'Firecracker' was such a fun song to write and to perform.

I didn't rebel in the way a lot of people do.

I'm not much of a water skier, my legs are too skinny for that, so I just try to tube and have fun, just ride.