And takin' a bath in the creek. That's the stuff that really made it worthwhile. Anybody can stay in a motel.
Anything to do with the land, I love.
I admire bull riders for their passion and the uniqueness each one of them has.
I always was one who didn't take things for granted. But I think I do appreciate things more now. The small moments of joy that we find each day are so much more precious now than when I looked at them before.
I can remember sittin' in a cafe when I first started in rodeo, and waitin' until somebody got done so I could finish what they left.
I don't know what makes a guy want to write songs and sing, but if you've got a message, you want to get it across. When I come up with an idea about the way I feel, I can really state it strongly in a song.
I had to give everything I had to one event if I wanted to excel.
I only won $250 all summer. And then I got crippled. I had a horse step on me while performing and it was messed up for a while.
I really didn't go that hard, although a couple of years I did. Some guys work 125 to 130 rodeos a year. they're just goin' all the time.
I'm healed up and I feel great. After going through the fire, it's great to be out performing again.
I've had this song in a drawer for a long time, maybe seven or eight years. Every time I'd do an album, I'd take it out and listen to it, and always liked what it had to say. Plus when Garth came in and sang on it, that made it really special.
If you're lucky enough to draw a good horse, you still have to ride him, then the next ones.
If you're lucky enough to draw a good horse, you still have to ride him, then the next ones. So It's probably 80 percent luck and 20 percent skill.
In fact my son subscribes to Pro Bull Rider magazine.
Mostly it would be those who rode in a particular even would hang out with those who rode in the same event.
My best year I made $25,000. Of course, that was back in the '70s.
My partner and I won the race, and I threw my hat into the air and bent to pick it up. Everyone started laughin' because I had split the back end of my pants out, and I wasn't wearing shorts.
Shoot, every time you get on an animal, you take your life in your hands.
Sleepin' in the truck wasn't so bad. Shoot, I kind of liked that, myself.
So it's probably eighty percent luck and twenty percent skill.
Some guys work 125 to 130 rodeos a year. They're just goin' all the time.
Sometimes a hard day's work is easier than a lot of things you can meet in life.
The bottom line is, these guys put their lives in danger every time they get on a bull, so they deserve to be paid.
The breeding programs for the bulls have improved significantly. The bulls are at a much higher caliber.
These songs feel personal. They sort of hit things on the head. It's been hard for me in the past to find material that I felt good about.
They were so good that you just had to sing the song to them once and they got it. It's amazing. Sometimes it didn't come out the way you wanted, but it was good.
This record is probably as easy as anything I've ever done.
Tires were so bald on the truck that the air was showin' through, and I had to drive 50 miles an hour because the vibration was so bad.
Tires were so bald on the truck that the air was showin' through, and I had to drive fifty miles an hour all the way out there, because the vibration was so bad.
To me, Garth, he's kind of like my guardian angel. It's like every time I need some help, he's there.
When I come up with an idea about the way I feel, I can really state it strongly in a song.
When you get a little older, you think, I'd like to make a little money and stick it away or buy a place - or win the world championship.
Why not just do something a little more on the gentle side?
You get to where you kind of like it, and It's a habit That's hard to break. I still find myself sittin' in a cafe, like a pizza parlor.
You hope your buddies will win so you don't have to loan them any money.
You'll probably get three horses and you have to draw a good buckin' horse. That's mighty tough.