Quotes from Frankie Ballard

I'm a huge Travis Tritt fan. I'm a big Southern rock guy.

I've never been a morning person, ever. I hate the morning. I have more energy at night.

I've never felt the least bit entitled to airplay. Each spin I get means the world to me.

I definitely respect the men and women who came before me and how much those people gave to me musically.

'You'll Accomp'ny Me' is a song I've always really cherished. The guy in that song is just so courageous. He's saying this to the girl, 'I know you've got to go do your thing, but eventually, we'll be together. I feel that strong, and I know it in my soul.' And there's something really cool about that.

I want to be the guy with the fresh new sound. I can remember as a kid thinking about a DJ going, 'Ladies and gentlemen, here's the new one from Frankie Ballard. He's the guy with that hot new sound.' That's the dream.

Go on stage and stomp my foot on stage and play my guitar and sing my guts out because I love to entertain people. That's what makes me happy.

I started off as a bar band. We played ZZ Top, Bob Seger, Waylon Jennings, the Rolling Stones - everything and anything people wanted to hear. You're not really selling yourself back then; you're selling beer.

Before you have a hit song, all you're doing is banging on the door and screaming, 'I've got something I want to play...' Now with the hit songs, they're like, 'Okay man, we're listening. Whaddya got for us?'

Are you really into pop? Are you really into old country? Blues? If you're not honest about your influences, then things don't sound as real as they can be. They're not as sharp a cheddar cheese as they can be. And I'm trying to be the sharpest cheddar I can be.

'Boys of Summer,' to me, is like the end of the summer, man. That heartbreaking feeling where you have to go back to school, your summer love is coming to an end, and the leaves are changing. That was always such an emotional time for me as a kid, because I loved summer so much.

It really stresses me out to think about what other people think about me.

Money definitely doesn't stress me out. I really don't care about money... I probably should a little more.

It sounds boring, but I'm such a guitar junkie and a gear junkie. I'm always fiddling with my stuff. It's relaxing to me... I'm always pulling my stuff apart, getting my pedal board out and fiddling with it or changing guitar strings.

I've always been a strategy kind of guy. I like laying things out and having a plan. Maybe not always a plan, but an approach and a vibe.