There were no guarantees that country music, whose roots were in the South, were ready for Charley Pride.

For most entertainers, there is a single experience, one defining moment, when confidence replaces the self-doubt that most of us wrestle with.

The tastes of country music fans are not limited to the narrow range defined by consultants and programmers and record company moguls.

It used to be that if you had a pretty good record, you could stop by a station in Little Rock or Atlanta and let the DJ listen to it. No way something like that can happen now.

The time I spent thinking about how I was better than somebody else or worrying about somebody else's attitude was time I could put to better use.

I finally came to terms with manic depression and lithium. I've taken lithium regularly for the past few years and have had no further bouts with manic depression.

Fans are what make a performer and I've always taken them seriously.

A fan will grab you and hug you and will not let go. When that happens, you wish it could be that way all over the world.

There only have been two people on this earth that I was nervous around: Chet Atkins and Mickey Mantle. It's because of the respect I have for them.

No one had ever told me that whites were supposed to sing one kind of music and blacks another - I sang what I liked in the only voice I had.

I learned to tune a guitar by ear. That method has served me pretty well.

Don't worry about being effective. Just concentrate on being faithful to the truth.

Well, if you pick a fight with somebody that's smaller than you and you beat them, where's the honor in that?

Nonetheless, it moves.

I always want to read the script before I totally commit.

The history of race relations in America is very different than something like the Holocaust.

I really don't think about my career, in terms of planning it out and what any role does for me.

People do things that turn out badly, often for the most benevolent of reasons.

I'm the guy that stands out in all the crowds, so I don't get out there and dance, but I can dance.

I am too slow to be a good climber, so I film instead.

Hot and hasty, like a Scotch jig.