I've gotten to know a retired guy here in North Georgia, USA, who had a 35 year full-time "career" as a bar musician in honky-tonks in blue collar Chicago. He knows thousands of old country songs. He has tales to tell. I once asked him what his "rules" were, for playing in these places. I remember things like knowing where all the exits were, making sure you knew who was paying you (an how much), how to protect your equipment, and never, ever turn your back on the crowd.