[MUSIC PLAYING] (SINGING) The [INAUDIBLE] was under your [INAUDIBLE]. 

I picked up a lot of steam with the Hackensaw Boys, and we started playing a lot of dates per year. It was a lot of, I think, fatigue and hollering and just partying, playing music. And eventually, it just wore my voice out. 

Most people realize that they're having some trouble with their vocal chords when they have a change in their voice. For people that use their voice just for speaking, they can usually tolerate a fair amount of irregularity with their vocal chords and get by. Now, when we deal with professional singers, they're much more attuned to the subtleties and the changes in their vocal chords. 

The irony is a lot of people have said, it sounds like it hurts you, but I really like your voice. And I was like, well, that's nice, but it does hurt, and it's starting to become no fun, you know? And I couldn't really sing without affecting it, like faking it a little bit. I started noticing that I was having more trouble breathing, and I started noticing that I was always hoarse. It was just becoming-- (HOARSELY) I mean, I was kind of talking like this all the time. 

The first sight we had over his vocal chords, we saw these enormous polyps. At the time, I said, those are the largest polyps I have ever seen, and still to this day are the largest polyps that I've ever seen. He was actually having breathing difficulties because they were so large, and he was physically choking on the polyps. So he was doing a lot of throat clearing. I told him this is definitely going to require surgery. 

To be honest, I'm still surprised at the sound of my voice. It's really been quite an awesome experience, honestly. And my singing, what I may have lost a tiny bit of like a Tom Waits-y kind of character, Louis Armstrong vocal thing, I feel like I've gained in range and power and all that. And there's no way I would ever want to go back. 

He's recorded a new album. He's very excited. It's going to be the first time anyone's heard his true singing voice in 10 years. 

I have a lot more confidence. Sometimes during our shows, we play all acoustic off of the microphones. And a year ago, I could barely do that because I couldn't project at all. 

I was able to see David live after his surgery after he made a full recovery. And it was just fantastic to be able to see his vocal chords in action doing what he needed to do. At the end, he did an encore without amplification. He just sounded phenomenal, was able to fill the whole theater with his sound. 

(SINGING) [INAUDIBLE] love so did she underneath sweet apple trees. 

[CHEERING] 

All right.