Waylon Jennings
Because Ritchie Valens WAS the real deal. He was only starting, but in the time he spent in the business, he made big impact. I don't know if anybody could have made a bigger one.Collection: Business
Don't ever try and be like anybody else and don't be afraid to take risks.Collection: Chance
Mainly what I learned from Buddy... was an attitude. He loved music, and he taught me that it shouldn't have any barriers to it.Collection: Attitude
I love Johnny Cash, and I respect Johnny Cash. He's the biggest. He's like an Elvis in this business, but no, he's never been the rebel.Collection: Respect
I mean, I think we're put here on earth to make your own destiny, to begin with. I don't think there's anything you can do this way or that way to change anything.
A lot of times they don't want to hear it. But you know, if some good is done to you, you should pass it on.
I may be crazy, but it keeps me from going insane.
Jessi is a great person. She really is. She's been a friend to me all through all my bad times, and she's understood what I was doing. She came up with that one saying, which was great.
Cuz I was never pretty anyway and never cared anything about that.
Now, I was on drugs, and that didn't help a whole lot. He hated that. That was part of where Chet and I had problems, so I take complete blame for that.
Honesty is something you can't wear out.
I didn't aim at anything except good music.
You know, I feel sorry for the young artists.
And the whole thing is that you're treated like a step-child. Here it was down here, everything in the black, because they were stealing, basically. Stealing from us old country boys down here.
Besides that, I felt guilty. I thought for some reason... I was alive, and Buddy and those boys were dead, and I didn't know how, but somehow I'd caused it.
But Buddy was an upper. He was happy. He loved music, and he was really happy. I don't know... I don't believe in reincarnation at all, but if all that stuff is true, then he might have been on his last time around.
But ya know what, I am a part of something that happened. I'm a part of the music that happened. My voice is one more instrument, is what it is. So that's the way I feel about people who play on sessions.
But you know, the system almost destroyed itself while it was goin' on trying to destroy us.
Chet loved artists. He did. But he was caught up in the system. He had two hats. He had to have 'em because he did two things: he was an artist, and he was an executive.
Finally, my manager negotiated a deal where I got to produce my own records.
I never have any problem getting enthusiastic with a good song and a good band.
I was king of the mountain for a long time, well, I don't want that no more. I like to perform every once in a while for people who want to see me, and cut albums of music that is what I'm really about.
It was all devastating. I'd never dealt with losing anyone close to me, and I didn't know where to put it in my life. I was very young then. Buddy taught me so much in such a short time.
Now, I don't know how they judge all that, but if anybody in the world deserves to be in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Ritchie Valens does.
One thing is that I wasn't getting booked that well, and they had control over who got the awards, they had control over who sold. And they really did not want Willie or me, either one, to have a hit record. They wanted the money, but they didn't want us to be the ones.
So I'm not very popular here with those inside the system, as you might guess. I never wanted to be.
We did an album one time called White Mansions, about the civil war, but it was written by a guy from England. His looking at it from over there and it not being a part of his history made it so he could be objective.
You know, in the days when I started, if you had Chet Atkins' name on your record as a producer and it was on RCA, you could work the road. It didn't have to be a big hit record, it just had to have that on it.
Each tomorrow will depend on the love you give today.Collection: Love You
I'm just a man, no more or no less. Bad as the worst, good as the best.Collection: Philosophy
There's always one more way to do things and that's your way, and you have a right to try it at least once.Collection: Rights
If you have the courage and you have the heart, that hero just might be you.Collection: Inspirational
Ladies love outlaws, like babies love stray dogs. Ladies touch babies like a banker touches gold, outlaws touch ladies somewhere deep down in their soul.Collection: Dog
Country music isn't a guitar, it isn't a banjo, it isn't a melody, it isn't a lyric. It's a feeling.Collection: Country
If you see me getting smaller, I'm leaving, don't be grieving, just gotta get away from here. If you see me getting smaller, don't worry, and no hurry, I've got the right to disappear.Collection: Grieving
When I look at you girl, I see a true work of art. So many beautiful things coming in one little heart.Collection: Romantic
We got a lot of politicians up there on Capital Hill. Ain't it funny how they prosper while the country stands still?Collection: Country
You've got to care about the music...You'd better not be doing it for the publicity, the fame or the money. And you'd sure better not be doing it because it's a way to make a living, 'cause that ain't always going to be easy. You got to believe it, believe in the music. You got to mean it.Collection: Music
The only two things in life that make it worth livin' / Is guitars that tune good and firm feelin' womenCollection: Guitar
Take your tongue out of my mouth, I'm kissing you good-bye.Collection: Kissing
There's always one more way to do something-- your way.Collection: Way
If we all could sound like we wanted to, we'd all sound like George Jones.Collection: Sound
I might be an endangered species.Collection: Peace
I've always felt that blues, rock 'n' roll and country are just about a beat apart.Collection: Music
Don't you be so nice to me; I fall in love so easily.Collection: Falling In Love
When you're down in Texas, Bob Wills is still the king.Collection: Kings
Those neon light nights, couldn't stay out of fights, keeps a-haunting me in memories. There is one in every crowd, for crying out loud, why was is always turning out to be me?Collection: Revenge
To me a guitar is kind of like a woman. You don't know why you like 'em but you do.Collection: Inspirational
Is your head up your ass so far that you can't pull it out?Collection: Friendship
Men commit murder and all sorts of mayhem, in a few years they're back on the streets. Highway robbery and white collar crime, and they laugh at the system they beat.Collection: Men