If there are people out by the bus, I'll come off the bus and sign autographs, too. I always want to be accessible. I always tell my fans, 'If I ever get on the bus and don't come off, it's because I'm under the weather or I'm really tired.'

American Idol allowed us to find Carrie Underwood.

'Tailgate Blues' is kind of a lyrical masterpiece of a country song.

I always look back to awards shows and think about being a kid watching them.

I think certainly after every show I headline, I will be available to the fans. When I'm headlining a show, I don't walk off stage. I'll walk to the front of the stage and sign hats and shirts and tickets for 15 to 30 minutes, until everyone has everything signed.

Anything I've ever read by John Irving has been really well written.

Early in my songwriting career, when I was learning a lot about writing songs, I'd force myself to sit down until I came up with something.