I can't not be who I am.
Our original name was Wild Country, but when we first went to The Bowery, they had the name of all 50 states around the edge of the club, so we went to the sign that said 'Alabama' and stuck our band name underneath it.
As long as God lets me live, I want to do things that make a difference in the world besides play music.
I love writing songs. I love doing my radio show and talking to the fans and listening to what they have to say, but there's a certain responsibility that comes along with being given the gift of music. I take that seriously, but at the same time I try to use it to do something that makes a difference in a positive way.
God has to let you be there, and then you just have to have good fortune for whatever reason. I'm enjoying every moment of my life. We are so fortunate just to be alive.
For me, when I grew up playing music, I played music in church and people were shouting and having a big time, and church wasn't something where it was subdued. If you played something, you brought it to church with you.
The writing part of my life never changes, because that's just when the inspiration comes.
The juices never stop flowing. I still write songs.
I feel very good and positive about my future. I look forward to seeing the fans and doing what I do.
The Bowery was a place that would let us do original songs - not just covers - but we would have to work for tips, so we learned how to work an audience. In order to keep our jobs, we had to keep people happy, so that meant playing the latest Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top or Merle Haggard.
