FRANKIE BALLARD

I've always been a band guy. That's my wheelhouse. That's what I do.

I've always been a strategy kind of guy. I like laying things out and having a plan. Maybe not always a plan, but an approach and a vibe.

I'd like to wrestle an alligator and fly a fighter jet.

I believe it's possible to have hit songs and popular music that's recorded by human beings.

I'm a Detroit Tigers fan through and through.

I've never felt the least bit entitled to airplay. Each spin I get means the world to me.

I was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, about 20 miles from Kalamazoo. I lived around there for about seven years. That community is one that I really care about.

Are you really into pop? Are you really into old country? Blues? If you're not honest about your influences, then things don't sound as real as they can be. They're not as sharp a cheddar cheese as they can be. And I'm trying to be the sharpest cheddar I can be.

My biggest turn-on is a fine pair of athletic legs. A girl with a fine pair of athletic legs who is not afraid to show them off. Turn-offs? A girl who doesn't like country music is a huge turn-off, and girls who don't take care of themselves.

I'm always moving like a kid. I'm always bouncing around and never sit still.

I've got an incredible family that I never get to see. I've missed so much. They know how much my career means to me, and they allow me to go and be the workaholic that they never get to see. They support me in that.

I'm the world's biggest Bob Seger fan. He's like my Elvis.

Someone might look like an overnight success, but there's a lot of hard work that goes into it, and rightfully so. That's the way it should be. There are exceptions to that rule, but in country music, people really have to pay their dues.

That's what music-making is: a dialogue.

I'm a big 'Cosby Show' fan.

I want to be the guy with the fresh new sound. I can remember as a kid thinking about a DJ going, 'Ladies and gentlemen, here's the new one from Frankie Ballard. He's the guy with that hot new sound.' That's the dream.

I probably would have never made it through college without baseball, so I'm thankful for that. I really am proud that I got to play on that level.

I've never been a morning person, ever. I hate the morning. I have more energy at night.

I definitely respect the men and women who came before me and how much those people gave to me musically.

Some people are songwriters, and some people are just recording artists. I'm both. I write and record.

It sounds boring, but I'm such a guitar junkie and a gear junkie. I'm always fiddling with my stuff. It's relaxing to me... I'm always pulling my stuff apart, getting my pedal board out and fiddling with it or changing guitar strings.

It really stresses me out to think about what other people think about me.

I see so many people living in a bubble. They want to be safe, they want their kids to be safe, and they want their friends to be safe. And I get that. That's awesome and really admirable. But life is not about who gets out the cleanest at the end, or who's the most well-preserved and healthiest.

I'm a huge Travis Tritt fan. I'm a big Southern rock guy.

All my influences go into a pot like a big ole stew, and it tastes like all the years I spent trying to play the guitar like Stevie Ray Vaughn. It tastes like Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. And if it comes out bluesy, then so be it.