The reason why I play around with the word legend is because this is my 7th CD and a lot of artists don't even make it that far. Many artists don't even pass three or four.
Everyone wants to be an arena act, and it's making country music evolve. People are cutting things more for that arena environment. But who's to say that that is a sign of any more of a successful career than what James Taylor has been able to do, when he still comes and plays the Ryman every two years?
Like, Jay Z has some of the sickest lyrics ever, but I would never buy his CD, just because of my age and because of his age. By the time I turn that old, I ain't gonna be doing what he's doing.
For me to be here at album number six, it's kind of a way to say, 'Thank you for allowing me to be here... to still be around.'
Hank Williams' music - it just doesn't go away, for some reason.
I don't want to have that thing where I make an album and then I'm super-constantly present in everyone's life for three years, and then gone for the next three.
You got people that come in, one album, two albums, and they're gone. A lot of people couldn't take the break I took and come back into the game, and people be checking for them.
One song will launch you, but you don't want to be a one-song artist.
I've been around so long that I've seen rappers make it and plummet.
In the '80s, I was putting out an album virtually every year, I think mostly based on fear - that if I didn't, people would soon forget about me.
I don't think a songwriter should lose their mojo. In my situation, I'm one of those artists that lasts over a long period rather than have your moment and your moment is gone.
In a genre where most of the artists are one-hit wonders, I've been able to hang around longer than most "serious" acts. I pride myself in being a very talented leech.
Today they forget you in five years. They give an artist nowadays four or five years and that's it. Some of them don't have that. They get a couple of releases. If you don't sell two million copies, you're gone, you're out of here.
If you can go out with your live show and turn people on to that, where you have that fan base that's religious and they're going to come see you when you're in that town, once your radio success is gone and you're not a mainstream guy anymore you can still go out and play your shows.
When I look at the life of those artists I admire, I believe that age isn't a big factor. As long as I have the capacity to accept a wide range of music, and have the ability to produce and make new music, I think I'd be okay as an older K-pop artist.
I'm kind of a firm believer that songs can have a shelf life with an artist.
Country music fans are extremely passionate and loyal. It seems that country artists have longer-lasting careers because the fans stick with the artists through thick and thin.
I think I'll be doing music until I die, regardless of whether I'm popular or not. If I ever feel like people aren't receiving my music well anymore, I'll probably go to the backroads and become an executive or just sign artists.
It must be very strange to live in the world of Willie Nelson or Bruce Springsteen or Pearl Jam. I don't know what kind of handle they have on their own loss of talent.
The first record blew up and sold really well. 'City of Black & White' didn't sell as well, and that's when you wonder, 'Did I peak already?'
The shelf life of an artist or musician isn't particularly long.
I'm not gonna just disappear after one album.
Blues players are around for 50 years, and that's just fine.
A lot of people can figure out the social media aspect of it, or the merchandising aspect, or whatever and get enough momentum to start a career. To sustain it, you have to keep writing and you have to keep creating.
Find something you really love doing and mix it with something you really care about. That's why I've had such longevity as an artist. I really, really care about ending violence against women, and I really, really love playing music. It's super enjoyable!
