I never aspired to be up front. When I was a kid, I didn't ever look in the mirror with a hairbrush going, "Hey, I'm Elvis!"
My mom said, "What I want is a happy kid, not a rich kid. That's what I root for." She saw how much joy I got from playing music, and those years were leaner than lean!
It blew my mind that nobody would come and see those kids play. One of the greatest attractions for me was the purity of the game they played. ... Guys who were just playing ball and having a good time before they go on to get jobs like the rest of us.