All artists are egotistical maniacs with inferiority complexes.

The best compliment that has ever been given to me was, I was at the airport one day and a guy came in and said, 'Lionel, my wife loves you, the kids love you, my mother-in-law loves you, the family loves you.

My earliest memories of country music are the Grand Ole Opry.

Growing up with country, R&B, gospel, and classical music from my grandmother and pop, Tuskegee was the perfect melting pot for my influences as a writer.

I just had to find all my friends that used to be in the business. As I say, the music business didn't die, it just moved to Nashville.

Let the music play on would be my legacy.

Country is bringing in a little rock element... a little '80s element. Melody is king now. But its just in the music, its not so much in the songwriting, which is still very basic to the storytelling aspect of it.