I had a ukulele when I was about seven. Then I started playing around with the mandolin and the banjo.
I grew up in South Florida, and my family was pretty poor. We weren't your upper-class whites by any means.
I'm sure you have arguments with your friends, but they don't get printed up and magnified in the papers.
My daddy had been a fiddler, and I heard a lot of fiddle music as a child. I had a ukulele and had played along with him.
I've written some songs that are pretty scary, but 'Jessica,' 'Ramblin' Man,' and 'Blue Sky' are happy songs. That's the way I wrote them: have-fun tunes to make you feel good.
Our main thing we'd have to entertain us: All my uncles would come over, and we'd sit around the living room on a weekend night, and we'd play. That was a big event for me, getting to play. We never did have any percussion.
