I'd like to start by saying this was a very difficult undertaking. This list changed constantly everyday for five days and I finally just printed one. It was almost impossible to pick 10 songs, much less put them in order from least to most favorite. These songs could all be in the No. 1 spot as far as I'm concerned, but I somehow came up with this order. I know I'm probably leaving something out that will come to me later, but this could take forever and I've got shows to do. I tried to pick songs that I loved, for whatever reason, before I became inundated with a whole lot of musical knowledge that probably means nothing. When you do this for a living, things sometimes seem to get a little blurry. I believe that it is very easy to overthink music. I really tried to put songs on this list that I fell in love with before I had time to think about it. Some of them were songs that I connected with as a child before I even knew why I liked them. In my humble estimation, that's the way it should be. All one really needs to know about music is: I like it or I don't. There is no formula and there are no boundaries -- and that's what I love about making music.
This is one of my favorite Merle Haggard songs. This song demonstrates his ability to write about real life in such a way that it draws any listener into his world. You're either very intrigued by the story line or you become the guy in the song.
As far as I'm concerned, Charlie Rich was a true musical genius. This song is very sexy but it's also very classy. I love the fact that he holds his woman high but there is still that element of passion. His vocals make the song; no one did this kind of stuff better than Charlie.
This song lyric grabbed me as a child and stuck with me throughout my life. Growing up the way I did, this story reminded me of so many people who lived from one day to the next. Let's just say it hit home.
Kristofferson is one of my favorite songwriters of all time. This song was so simple and full of honesty and truth, that even at a very young age, it seemed to answer and conjure up some other questions about spirituality that I needed to contemplate.
Willie Nelson rocked my Dad's world with this song when I was just a lad. Few things got to my Father, but this one made him a little misty. I didn't see that side of him very often and I think that's probably why it became one of my favorite songs.
This should be in the No. 1 spot. I'm a sucker for prison songs -- but this is more than that. Merle is the man and this is just another example of how real life makes for the best songs. If you live it, and you write it, people are going to relate. How did this kind of music get lost in the shuffle?
John Conlee is one of the most recognizable country voices to ever sing a song. Who hasn't lived this one? It's all a part of growing up or getting old. This was one of the first songs I performed to live audiences in the early days. I felt comfortable [performing it] because I loved it.
Vern Gosdin had a huge hit with this one when I was working my way through college. This song was a perfect combination of lyric and vocals, and Vern was in rare form. I'll never forget the first time I heard it and I knew it would always be one of my favorites. This is classic country music at its best.
George Jones is one of my favorite country singers. I love this song but I especially love this performance. I think this song made me realize that you can love someone as much as you want but they don't have to love you back. I guess it was later that I lived it but I was prepared for the let down because I had a background in country music. Now there's a great reason to listen to real stuff.
Lefty Frizzell had the original recording on this one but I think the definitive version was Keith Whitley. Maybe it was because he and Whitey Shafer wrote a new verse for the Whitley version. All of my heroes recorded this one including Haggard. I think this is one of the best love songs of all time -- and it never mentions the word love. I love this song because it is very singer-friendly and it allowed me to stretch my wings and try some new vocal techniques.
