I was a sickly baby, and after two sets of adoptive parents took me home, they returned me to the orphanage because of a serious respiratory infection. But as they say, the third time’s a...

My family and I are just regular folks, just trying to get through the day and do the best you can and pay the bills, and that’s who we’re singing to.

If I spent the rest of my life getting even with the people that had helped me out, I would never settle the score.

There’s nothing special about me. Nothing has come easy.

You choose to be happy, and in life we have as many good days as bad days. I try to find and record those songs that pull you through the bad days, and keep you...

I started doing some demos and got online and bought a refurbished laptop, bought a microphone off of eBay. A lot of folks said you can’t really do it that way at a pro level,...

The energy of college football rivals that of a live performance for me. I am an extremely analytical guy and predicting these games is right up my alley, especially with a little luck thrown in....

With videos, I find I’m better off if I’m playing a role inside of it. The more you do it, the more you understand it.

There’s an intelligent redneck in all of us somewhere.

You can hear some artists, hear five of their albums and still have no idea who they are. But if you’ve heard most of what I’ve recorded, you know me. You go from ‘Honesty’ to...

I could be on 52nd and Third in Manhattan up and ask a strange for directions and they will help you, that’s a rural heart. Your car breaks down in the middle of Iowa or...

I don’t want to sing songs that aren’t worth while. Time is so rare. I just don’t want to waste the listener’s time and I think that my songs don’t do that. That’s what I...

I’ve never really focused on if I had good habits when I sang or if I had bad habits, or if I was breathing correctly. So, I started doing vocal exercises and would stretch out...

The way I heard about The American Giving Awards was from the people that I work with. My publicist and I had a conversation a while back about wanting to really get involved more and...

There’s a book called ‘The Shack’ – it had a lot to do with me coming full circle, meeting my birth mother. Awhile back, my birth mom and my adopted mom came to my show...

Every song you’re trying to find something that going to connect in different ways but for me the songs that I’m really drawn to are inspirational, songs that lift you and that everybody can relate...

Where I’m fortunate and why I think I’ve thrived and survived, through the not having albums out every year-and-a-half, is not taking the songs lightly and trying to make sure I’ve got consistency.

When I did ‘The Tonight Show’ and Jay Leno was still there, he was very nice but it was surreal. It’s like you can’t believe you’re standing there talking to that person. If you’ve seen...

When you’re adopted, no matter what, you’ve got issues with unconditional love. And you find out you’re the product of the worst situation for a young girl to be in and start her life, and...

I started out singing covers. I’ve sung a lot of ’em and love a lot of ’em.

I grew up playing music and enjoying good food, friends and family in my own backyard.

But I have vertigo… I lose my equilibrium easily. I can lean out to look at something and just keep leaning and not realize I’m about to fall.

I am spiritual. I believe God loves and is pulling for all of us.

It’s really hard to find a love song that is real. That’s when you really strike a chord with somebody, when you dig in deep and grab a hold.

I guess I do prefer a ball cap. I have performed without a cap, mostly at funerals and weddings.

I don’t take a second for granted of the honor of representing country music.

My wife grew up loving country music, so I always run songs by her whether I wrote it or if somebody pitched it to me.

Right now my favorite TV show – because it’s too close to home – is ‘My Name Is Earl.’ That show kills me. There’s some funny stuff in there.

I like to write at home a lot.

You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody’s eyes. As songwriters, our blank canvas is silence. Then we write a song from an...

You may not know it, but I was adopted as a baby by my wonderful parents, Allan and Margaret Atkins of Cumberland Gap, Tenn.

Some people grab my hair and pull it out. People write on my jeans when I’m on stage. They write on my boots – their phone number, name or whatever.

I see the crowd singing ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ or ‘Back Road’ at my concerts… they are anthems and they lift up your life.

I am so excited this year getting to play the 85th Anniversary Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Everyone knows on Thanksgiving morning to get up, turn on the TV and watch the parade, so to be...

It’s still a trip for me to see somebody that I’ve only seen on television or in a movie. When they are there in real life, it’s very different. When we played Detroit, Kevin Costner...

I think my songs are singing to the rural heart. It’s not whether you’re from a big city or the middle of nowhere in a small town.

The way I started playing music was sitting around with friends and singing songs. I love good ol’ fashioned guitar pulls.