Tommy Shaw Quotes

Songwriting is the other weight on the opposite side of the scale from touring. They balance me out creatively.

I feel like I have the greatest life an artist could dream of.

When you sign with a label, they do insist upon certain rights, and if you have a competent attorney, your rights will be protected.

We’re kind of defined by our mistakes.

I’ve always stuck with Gibsons. I’ve had Guilds and Fenders, too, but I always wind up going back to Gibsons.

Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a recording contract.

On acoustic guitar I tend to stay in the key of D for some reason. On electric guitar I keep basic: C, G, D, and A. The key of D minor is also real good for me.

If music became extinct now, I don’t know what I’d be good for.

Les Pauls work out real well for me because I’ll beat the hell out of them and they’ll still work. The only trouble with them is finding good ones.

I don’t write on tour. There is so much to do day in and day out when you are on the road.

Once you start thinking about it in a mercenary frame of mind, then you’re finished. You’re a joke, because there are too many mercenaries out there already.

I don’t like looking back.

I have always been a sucker for the big, upbeat chorus.

I was born in Alabama and my first live music experiences were in church. Every Sunday we watched regional gospel groups on television singing their hearts out.

When a song gets its legs and begins to come to me, this is the euphoric hook that keeps me wanting to continue.

Success is fickle, but creativity is a gift.

Timing is everything.

When I became 16 I started thinking seriously about singing.

I wish I had a nickel for every song that I’ve left in the bathroom, written down on a matchbox, or just totally forgotten about.

When it stops being fun, stop.