Musician Quotes

I love the intimacy of venues like the House of Blues. When everyone is packed in and so close to you, it makes you play differently. It's so much more fun to play because there's so much more high energy in a place like that.

I don't want to hear songs about how sunshiny things are. I don't like songs that feel like radio candy... I like the ones that make you think, laugh or cry - they pull some kind of emotion out of you.

I am so anti-people's opinions when I'm making a record, but when it's finished and I put it out there, I hope somebody likes it.

Everything about the music industry takes away from you as an artist. They're always wondering what the next thing is: 'What do you have?' It's a very introverted process.

Country was about character. Country's changed because of monsters like Clear Channel who bought up all the stations and sliced them up into formats. Our demographic is now the soccer mom.

Anytime something starts to feel like a popularity contest or not about the music, I'd rather just not be involved. I'm not a big high-fiver. That really gets to people around me when we have a No. 1 or something big happen. I'm not a big, 'Let's go have a party about it!'

You can be the moon and still be jealous of the stars.

Let's be naughty and save Santa the trip.

I paint because I love to cut mats.

I think people think musicians or actors or whatever are hot... a lot of times because of what they do. If I was walking through the mall eight years ago and had on some shorts and whatever, flip-flops and a T-shirt, I'm pretty sure nobody would really care. So I have to believe that the fact that I

I think it's important for artists to work together. It's great for fans to see, like, Ludacris came out to our show in Atlanta and kinda made a surprise appearance there, it shows a mutual respect for what each other does.

I think from an artist standpoint, you have to put out music that you feel like represents you and things you feel like your crowd wants to hear. And if that drives them to go and download the album or the single, that's what we want.

I think every artist wants to have that 'Grammy award winner' tag in front of their name.

I love playing music. And that's what it's all about.

I love fried okra. The fact that it's okra makes me feel like it's good for you - I forget the fact that it's fried.

I know I'm not gonna please everybody when I make a record. I don't let that affect any of my decisions.

I haven't figured out why people like what they like. I don't know. I wish I did. I could sell that to everybody, man, and be a millionaire.

I have a love of baseball and a love of music.

I had no idea 'Big Green Tractor' was going to be as big a hit as it was. You just can't predict those things.

I had an opportunity to play baseball in college, but I just didn't want to go to school. I started focusing on my music and it was game over!

I had a friend, Melissa, who was 28 years old. She was my best friend's wife, and she was my wife's best friend. She died of breast cancer. When she passed away back in 2004 was the last time I cried.

I grew up listening to everything. And rock and roll has always been a big, big part of it - as big a part of what I do as any other type of music.

I grew up listening to all kinds of music, everything from country to rock, pop, R&B and even rap, so for me, music is music and a great song is a great song.

I got a hat deal with Resistol, where I have my own line of cowboy hats.

I don't think I really have any wisdom. Stay out of trouble. Good luck. Stay away from women because they will burn you, haha.

I don't know if Nashville will ever be ousted as the Music City. But I also think that here, over the last few years, Georgia has definitely kind of risen to the top as far as the crop of young artists coming out of this area that are kind of making waves, you know?

I didn't want my records to sound like anybody else, and when I've got my guys in the studio, I have a language with those guys because we work together every day. A lot of times, you bring in outside guys, studio players, whatever, and they're great musicians. It's just that they don't necessarily

For every album, I look at where I'm at in my career and think of a title that kind of represents that. And for me, 'Night Train' was kind of a metaphor for where things have gone, from being on one bus with 12 other guys, pulling a trailer my first few years on the road, to now. We're out here with

Entertainer of the Year, to me, there's never been any question that that's one on my bucket list that I want. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. If there's one that I ever could get - I would trade all the rest of them in for that one.

Country music in the mid-'90s was a big influence on my career, and I played all the songs that are referenced in ''94' back in my club days. Joe Diffie was rocking a sick mullet, and he was hotter than ever... just putting out monster hit after monster hit. It totally takes me back to those days, a