Callie Khouri Quotes

There are people out there who are into traditional country music and for those people you have artists like Brad Paisley and Josh Turner and Alan Jackson. Then you have artists with a progressive style of country music, like myself and Eric Church and Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert.

I really like Alan Jackson, in Country Music. I think he's really very, very talented along with George Jones, and Merle Haggard, the same old favorites.

I have a penchant for Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton.

In my musically formative years, I grew up listening to Suzy Bogguss, Trisha Yearwood, Terri Clark.

When I was really little, I listened to Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrel, Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, and Patsy Cline.

If you had told me when I was starting out that I would be coming down to Nashville, kind of weaving in and out of the country scene, I never would've thought that in a million years.

I love the show 'Nashville,' I mean, that's a show that's pretty incredible.

Back in the early '90s, I started going to Nashville to do a lot of co-writes. One of the first people I met there was Keith Follese. Keith and his wife Adrienne are both songwriters, and we wrote some songs together.

I wouldn't be an artist if I didn't have Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift to look up to.

I'm more into the old-school country myself, like Dolly Parton, and I guess it wouldn't be typical, but I really love Linda Ronstadt.

The single most exciting thing that happened for me was getting to spend some time in the studio with both Marty Stuart and Vince Gill.

I love Loretta Lynn, and I love Roy Clark and Johnny Cash, everybody.

We've done shows with Tim McGraw, Hank Williams Jr., Montgomery Gentry, Shooter Jennings.

Nashville may be famed for its country music, but this may well be the capital of rock and roll music in the United States of America.

Most of the time in Nashville, you're so replaceable. Anybody can get another nice-looking guy to sing a country song.

The first time I remember going to Nashville was in 1971 back when 'Snowbird' was a hit and I performed at the Grand Ole Opry.

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?

Be in Nashville if you want to be in country music, because everybody that can help you is here.

Favorite country singer of all time... Hank Williams... Well, then there's Willie Nelson. Can I have three? I can't do one. Then if I have three, I'll need five. Hank Williams for sure. Willie Nelson. Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.

It's awesome to have friends among the country music community that you know are looking out for you and that you are excited to get to see on the road.

The thing about Nashville that's amazing is everyone plays... so you don't meet up for a drink, you meet up for a pick. It's an incredibly creative town, just bubbling with energy.

When I started out, I was what they called corny. After a week in Nashville they were calling me hillbilly.

I was not ready fresh out of high school to hit the streets of Nashville.

I love the story of the guy coming to Nashville and then kind of getting set down and told, 'This is how the town works,' which, I've totally been there. But the coolest thing about 'Out of Style' is it's a song within a song.

Some of the country stuff in the past has been so polished - if you were a guy with a nice pair of jeans, a big belt buckle and nice hat, you were country.