Even when I'm touring, I feel like a sideman ... everybody's working together. We get to play longer solos; it's not just "Here's the record! Thank you for coming Goodnight" ... it has always had a "band" feel instead of being a singer and his backup band.

I'm the guy who loves being in the supporting cast.

It is not that I don't like contemporary country music because I do. I love it. I have recorded a lot and have had great success recording records that have not been very traditional country records.

Music is like having a conversation. All musicians inspire each other, and they're all geared to play something that matters.

I've always been more drawn to being normal than being famous.

I made records in the past that are as traditional as any other country records that have been made, but at the same time the records have a contemporary slant on it too.

With The Key, it was, I had gone through a divorce and losing my father, and just kinda really reminiscing about how much I loved the traditional side of country music, so I made a record that was really traditional from start to finish.