"Willie Nelson, out there 200 days a year, calls his band family. And it is."

"I've been on the road I think probably three years."

"I really worked to try and be creative enough on the guitar parts so those who aren't real educated would know that there was some difficulty in doing it."

"The nice thing about the world that I've been able to inhabit for the last couple of years is that I'm given a lot of freedom. Not all artists really get that."

"I don't stare at a sheet of paper and try to think of a good word to use. I try to see where the story should go."

"Even in your darkest moments, you'll think of something that'll crack you up."

"If you're really on top, you probably didn't do that great, 'cause you have to water it down a bit for it to get that mass appeal."

"Even on the most serious ballads, I'll throw in a tongue-in-cheek remark."

"You look out there and there's people that, their day is changed because of your contribution to it."

"I'm aware of the fact that a lot of talented people out there will never get this chance."

"In the past, I tried to be more of a typical session guitarist. I wasn't so concerned with impressing anybody."

"I like to look at the songs like they're little movies."

"Alison Krauss is definitely my favorite singer that's ever lived. I've never heard anyone like her."

"I go to eat dinner with my folks when I'm home. I think that's the trick."

"Guitar playing isn't really for everybody."

"If I get an idea for a song, I have a melody for it. I'm a musician first. I'm not limited by the fretboard."

"If there's a song where there's a possibility of guitar stuff that would be fun to listen to, go for it. Don't worry about what anybody thinks."

"Anytime you do something from the heart, people just know it."

"I'm sure there are a few things in my CD collection that might surprise people. I like classical music, the blues, and I'm a big fan of alternative rock."

"When they say you're the best, I always remember that the majority of the audience probably thinks someone else should have gotten the award."

"I imagine there's a market for total depression. I grew up on George Jones and that really dark stuff."

"With my guys and with the way that we live out there, we work out a lot and try to eat right, but we try to basically keep it our own rhythm and our own world."

"It comes down to building your own world out here on the road. It's who you surround yourself with. My band and crew are really positive guys."

"As a guitar player, it's harder for me to impress somebody than it is to write a song that they like."

"I love any and all situations where you celebrate creativity."