“I know more polkas than Frankie Yankovic. I grew up next door to the Polka Tavern in Milwaukee.”

I sang do-wop on the street corner before it was called do-wop.I can sing some polkas. And proud of that.

I was crawling around inside of her. She was a church pianist. My dad was a brilliant singer. I was hearing it.

I watched Elvis Presley become – I listened to Elvis Presley. I watched Chuck Berry become. I listened to Little Richard.

My eyes went blank, and I stared off, and the music started. It was raining, and the sun was shining at the same time.

I heard that music, and it was part of my upbringing.

I can sing some polkas. And proud of that.

So given those things yes, I’m introducing some new music that people haven’t really heard me do in quite this fashion.

Until my knee said, “Uh-uh,” I was jogging. Then I started walking. They don’t like walking a lot, but I’ll push them.

A very few minutes, because seven days later I was in the studio, and eight days later, I was no the stage.

You really have to count your blessings and you have to make a decided effort to not get seduced by the blues.

My dad graduated seminary there, and so did (sounds like) Mark Kimball’s grandfather. They sang in a quartet together, my dad and Mark Kimball’s grandfather.

The ones that you sing when you’re driving in the car and as a singer you always go back to them.

A couple of incidents of shortness of breath and checked myself into a hospital, but that one in France really sat me down for a few minutes.

Let that get you up in the morning and put the light in your eyes. I’m telling you, it makes you a better husband, mother, father, neighbor, citizen.

I discovered is that I have a couple of valves that were leaky and had been giving, gave me a problem then. But I hadn’t noticed anything up until then.

Every day is Thanksgiving for me, man. Yeah, I still have an audience, and they ask the local promoter, “When is Al coming back?”

I grew up in the inner city of Chicago, and then I moved to Robbins, and it kind of raised me.

I grew up with artists.

How I grew up, everybody was telling me, “You can’t do this, you can’t get tattoos, you’ve got to look a certain way.” Now, I’m like, “Why?”

Because I grew up with a drill sergeant in my life,

I grew up poor, but I didn’t have poor dreams

I grew up with a single mother, and I wasn’t out shooting too many guns.

I grew up being an artist, but also rock-climbing and traveling the world and teaching my kids.

I grew up rock climbing.