American Quotes

I've studied a lot of great people over the years - Pete Seeger, James Brown - and tried to incorporate elements that I've admired, though I can't say I dance like James.

I've also become much more the musician I've always wanted to be.

I'm now comfortable playing a lot of the old songs, and I've gotten out a lot of the old equipment.

I'm much more energetic now; you might say live performance is my mission.

I'm like a twenty-two-year-old kid in a new band trying to get noticed and break through, because the vast majority of people have never seen me play live.

I wrote that song for my wife, and it's what some guy who's sitting under a tree would be singing to the woman of his life, telling her how wonderful she is. To me, that's more lasting than something that sounds like it belongs on a movie soundtrack.

I work hard at that, but the fact that there are a lot of good songs means there are also a lot of really bad songs I've written that you never hear.

I went pretty much for one tone, and I knew at that time that I wanted to play a Rickenbacker.

I usually destroy unreleased material. It has a way of coming back to haunt you.

I thought what I was good at doing was playing real simple guitar licks, since I'd cut my teeth on what Duane Eddy was doing; licks that were simple but had staying power.

I stuck with that size because I could bend the strings so well, and somewhere along the line I must have gotten it into my mind that I had small hands, so I was thinking I'd never be able to play a full-scale guitar, but I also felt like I was cheating or cutting corners.

I don't know that all the demons have been beaten, but I'm very, very proud of those songs.

Even though James Burton was my idol, I didn't think I could carry his shoes back then.

Even though I have often recorded alone, I still feel the best music is made by musicians playing off each other.

But I think beautiful is simple and elegant, like a ballad with simple harmony.

And I now think that Stratocasters and Telecasters are way cool.

You're successful if you can get one person to pick it up and put it on the turntable and go, Wow, thanks for writing that!

Strats are my favorite electric guitars, and I've got quite a collection.

Now is the only thing that exists.

My upbringing made me think that real legitimate music is written, not heard.

My life is as an artist, not an entertainer. I don't consider myself an entertainer, but I can do that thing when I want to.

My grandfather gave me my first guitar, an old acoustic with palm trees and dancing girls painted on it.

My dad was vehemently opposed to electric guitars. He did not look on that kind of music as legitimate in any way.

MTV didn't call. I guess I wasn't hip and groovy enough.

It was so much fun playing simple American bluegrass. I got to meet Doc Watson.

I wish I was a little more gregarious and outgoing.

I was blessed with a gift. It's a gift and a curse. It never ends.

I wanted to pay tribute to my musical influences: Buffalo Springfield, Lightfoot, the Beatles, the Hollies.

I never going to satisfy everybody, so I decided to satisfy myself.

I may quit the music business someday, but never the music.