I came to town thinking that everybody had the same idea of what country music was that I did.

So you do shorter versions of the hits, or you take out a long guitar solo or things like that to make time for the hits and new music as well. But I don't think any of us ever get to do as much new music as we would like to.

And I hate to see artists who are real safe. I love to see artists swing for the fences sometimes.

The one who actually decided that I should keep my name was my manager, Erv Woolsey.

Never settle for the path of least resistance

I'm the most low-maintenance person on the road.

And I think that's a singer's job. You know, to really interpret a lyric. There's an art to it, and I think some people are really great at it, like Tammy Wynette and George Jones and Tony Bennett.