[originaltext] I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran

I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. When I was 10 years old, my dad gave me the responsibility of feeding chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important to me to learn responsibility and moods from those jobs.
    When I was 22, I found a job in New York at a country music club.  I washed dishes and cooked from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  and then went on stage and sang until2:00 in the morning. I soon became known as a singing cook. I had been refused so many times by record companies that it was easy to be discouraged.
    One night, a woman executive from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked. Several weeks later, my manager received a phone call--Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. I released my first record in July, 1987. It was sold over 2 million copies.
    My best efforts had gone into every job I ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feet that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.