Jason Aldine Williams was born in Macon, Georgia,[2][3] on February 28, 1977. His parents separated when he was three. He was raised by his mother in Macon, and during the summer he spent time with his father in Homestead, Florida. He attended Windsor Academy, a private Christian school in Bibb County, Georgia.[4] Before his father went to his work, Aldean would map out guitar chords on notebook paper to show his son where to place his fingers to play the chords and Jason would sit and practice all day while his father was at work. When his father got home, he got out his own guitar and they played together. Soon he could play a song after hearing it only a few times. His early favorites included George Strait's "The Cowboy Rides Away", Hank Williams Jr.'s "The Blues Man", and Alabama's "My Home's in Alabama".
Both of his parents encouraged young Aldean as he progressed musically. From age 14, after watching the country-music awards on television, he wanted to perform on stage. With his mother's help, he performed at the local VFW hall in Macon. He sang John Anderson's song "Seminole Wind" and Tracy Lawrence's "Sticks and Stones". He then began performing at area talent contests and local fairs. At 15, he joined the "house band" at Georgia nightspot Nashville South.
In order to stand out, Aldean changed the spelling of his middle name, Aldine, to come up with the name Aldean.[5]
Career
1998–2004: Career beginnings
After high school, with his father's help, Aldean and his band performed at clubs and festivals around the Southeast. With Justin Weaver (one of the band's members), Aldean began writing and recording original songs. In 1998, he performed songs from his first album at a showcase staged by Atlanta nightclub The Buckboard. He was approached by Michael Knox, then of the Warner-Chappell song-publishing company.[3] After signing with Warner-Chappell, Aldean moved to Nashville on November 1, 1998, at the age of 21.
Aldean was offered a recording contract but was subsequently dropped. He signed with another label but again was dropped in 2000 after his label postponed his recording sessions repeatedly. Various showcases failed to bring him a contract. The last straw was an attempt at the Wildhorse Saloon where the promised label talent scouts never showed up. Frustrated and discouraged with his struggling career, Aldean gave himself six months before planning to leave Nashville and return home to Georgia. Then five weeks later, he was offered a deal from Broken Bow Records in Nashville. Shortly after the release of his self-titled debut album, Aldean picked up his new (and current) agent Kevin Neal. While recording Relentless, Aldean moved to Clarence Spalding and Spalding Entertainment for management.
2005–2008: Jason Aldean and Relentless
Aldean's debut single, "Hicktown", was released in early 2005.[3] It served as the lead-off to his self-titled debut album and reached number 10 on the US BillboardHot Country Songs chart.[6] The album contained his first number one hit with "Why".[6] This album contained the number 4 hit "Amarillo Sky",[6] which had previously been a non-charting single in 2002 for McBride & the Ride. The song earned a 2006 ACM nomination for Song of the Year and Video of the Year. Aldean earned the title "Top New Male Vocalist" at the 2006 ACM Awards. Over 1,000,000 copies of the album were sold in the United States and it was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2007.
Aldean performing in 2008
Aldean spent most of January 2007, in the studio with producer Michael Knox to finish his second album, Relentless.[3] The album was released on May 29, 2007, and at Wal-Mart locations was sold with a Limited Edition CMT Pick DVD that included Aldean's performances. The album's lead-off single, "Johnny Cash", was originally recorded by Tracy Byrd, but Aldean's version of it peaked at No.6.[6] Its followup "Laughed Until We Cried" became his 5th consecutive Top 10 hit.[6]Relentless was also certified platinum by the RIAA, and its title track was released as its 3rd single. The song was Aldean's lowest-charting single both in the U.S. and Canada,[6] failing to reach the Top 10 on the country charts.[6]
2009–2012: Wide Open and My Kinda Party
Aldean released his seventh single titled "She's Country" on December 1, 2008. This song serves as the lead-off single from his third album Wide Open, which was released on April 7, 2009. The single debuted at No.51 on the Hot Country Songs chart[6] in late-November 2008. Being his 7th consecutive Top 40 hit on the country charts,[6] it is also his 1st Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It later became his second number-one hit,[6] and his first since "Why" in May 2006.[6] The next single, "Big Green Tractor", became Aldean's third number-one hit.[6]Wide Open debuted at No.2 on the Top Country Albums chart. "The Truth" became the album's third consecutive number-one hit in January 2010,[6] with "Crazy Town" being the album's fourth single and peaking at No.2 on the country charts.[6]
Aldean performed with Bryan Adams on an episode of CMT Crossroads in the beginning of May, and the episode premiered on June 26, 2009.[7] In an interview with Shave Magazine, Aldean explained that working with Bryan on Crossroads "was great" and that "[h]e was a lot of fun." But the real highlight for him was that he was working with Randy Owen. "I am a big fan of Alabama so I got a chance to work with Randy Owen on this album (it didn't make the album but it eventually made a bonus track). It was really cool. Alabama were like 'The Beatles' for me so working with him was definitely one of the highlights," he said "I mean, both of those guys were really cool moments, but if I had to pick one highlight, it would be working with Randy [Owen] this year."[8] A live DVD titled Wide Open Live & More was released on August 25, 2009.[citation needed] At the 2010 CMT Music Awards, Aldean picked up 3 nominations in Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for "The Truth", as well as Collaborative Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year for his performance of "Heaven" with Bryan Adams.[9]
In August 2010, Aldean released the single "My Kinda Party", which entered the Hot Country Songs chart at No.41.[6] It is the lead-off single from his album of the same name, which was released on November 2, 2010.[10] It marks as Aldean's tenth top-10 country hit.[6] Aldean also collaborated with Kelly Clarkson on the intimate duet "Don't You Wanna Stay". His and Clarkson's performance on November 10, 2010, at the CMA Awards received positive recognition, and debuted at No.59 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart[6] from unsolicited airplay for the week of November 20, 2010. In March 2011, it became Aldean's fifth number-one hit.[6]
In early 2011, Aldean's version of "Dirt Road Anthem", which was recorded previously by both of its writers country rap artist Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert (who also wrote "My Kinda Party"), debuted on the Hot Country Songs chart at No.57 as an album cut [6] from an unsolicited airplay for the week of February 5, 2011.[11] In March 2011, the song was chosen as the third single from My Kinda Party. Aldean also collaborated with Ludacris for the song at the 2011 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee on June 8, 2011. In addition to making #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart[6] for the week of July 30, 2011, it also became Aldean's first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at #7.
Aldean performed "My Kinda Party" at the start of the 2011 Home Run Derby, which was broadcast on ESPN.[citation needed] Aldean won the CMA award for Album of the Year in 2011 as well as the Musical Event of the Year with "Don't You Wanna Stay", his duet with Kelly Clarkson. This was his first win.[citation needed] On October 25, 2011, it was announced that Aldean would be performing on The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music's Biggest Night, the 1-hour special which took place live on Wednesday, November 30, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.[12] "Don't You Wanna Stay" received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, but lost to The Civil Wars at the 54th Grammy Awards on February 12, 2012.[citation needed] The fourth single from the album was "Tattoos on This Town", which peaked at No. 2,[6] followed by yet another number one single, entitled "Fly Over States".[6]
The first single from Aldean's fifth album was entitled "Take a Little Ride". It was released on July 16, 2012. Later, the album's title was announced as Night Train. This album was released on October 16, 2012. Its second single, "The Only Way I Know", is a collaboration among him, Luke Bryan, and Eric Church. The album's third single, entitled "1994", is a tribute to Joe Diffie. The album's fourth single, the title track, was released to country radio on June 24, 2013. The fifth single, "When She Says Baby", was released to country radio on November 18 of that same year. "Take a Little Ride", "The Only Way I Know", "Night Train", and "When She Says Baby" all peaked at number 1 on the Country Airplay chart respectively.[13]
During a radio interview on May 18, Aldean hinted at another possible collaboration with Ludacris. He did state that it would not be on Night Train. On December 16, 2014, Ludacris released an Extended Play titled Burning Bridges, in which the title track featured him and Aldean as a duet.[14] Aldean performed "My Kinda Party" during the People's Choice Awards on January 9, 2013.[citation needed] On June 5, 2013, Jason Aldean co-hosted the 2013 CMT Music Awards with actress Kristen Bell. He and Lenny Kravitz opened the awards show singing "American Woman".[15]
On July 22, 2014, Aldean released a new single "Burnin' It Down". This song would serve as the lead single off his sixth studio album Old Boots, New Dirt, which was released on October 7, 2014. This song reached No. 1 both on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.[6] The album's second single, "Just Gettin' Started", was released to country radio on November 10, 2014. It reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart in March 2015. "Tonight Looks Good on You" was released as the third single on March 23, 2015. It reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart in July 2015. also performed CMT Crossroads with Bob Seger song called "Turn the Page". The album's fourth single, "Gonna Know We Were Here" released to country radio on August 17, 2015. It reached No. 2 on the Country Airplay chart in January 2016. Jason Aldean is one of only three artists to achieve RIAA platinum sales certification on an album released this year. His Old Boots, New Dirt album, which debuted at the top of Billboard's all-genre Top 200 chart in October, has now shipped more than one million units. This means that he is[16] the only country star to release a platinum-seller in 2014, and joins only Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande in platinum album certifications for collections released this year.[16]
At the conclusion of Aldean's Burn it Down Tour, he donated over $600,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure of South Florida.[17]
2016–2018: They Don't Know and Rearview Town
In July 2016 it was announced that the seventh regular studio album, They Don't Know, was set for release on September 9 of that year. Again produced by Michael Knox, the album was preceded by the single "Lights Come On", released to country radio on April 1, 2016.[18] The album's second single, "A Little More Summertime", released to country radio on July 15, 2016. The album's third single, "Any Ol' Barstool", was released to country radio on December 5, 2016. The album's fourth and final single, the title track of the album, was released to country radio on May 8, 2017.[citation needed] At the 2016 ACM Awards, Aldean was awarded Entertainer of the Year for the first time in his career. He would go on to win that award in 2017 and also 2018.[citation needed]
In March 2017, Aldean announced that he is working on his eighth album,[19] titled Rearview Town, which was released on April 13, 2018.[20] The lead single, "You Make It Easy", was released on January 26, 2018.[20] Aldean also confirmed two other songs would appear on the album: "Gettin' Warmed Up" and "Set It Off".[21]
On October 1, 2017, Aldean had just begun performing "When She Says Baby" at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, when Stephen Paddock began firing into the crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort.[22][23] Aldean and his band managed to exit the stage unharmed, but 60 concertgoers died and 867 others were injured during the incident.[24][25][26][27][28] On October 7, Aldean opened Saturday Night Live with words of support for those hurting in the aftermath of the shooting, saying that "we witnessed one of the worst tragedies in American history. Like everyone, I'm struggling to understand what happened that night (and why) and how to pick up the pieces and start to heal. But you can be sure that we're going to walk through these tough times together, every step of the way. Because when America is at its best, our bond and our spirit — it's unbreakable."[29] He then performed a cover of "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty, who had died five days earlier.[30]
2019–2023: 9 and Macon, Georgia
Aldean performed at the 2019 Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum Concert and Induction Ceremony.[31] Aldean's ninth album, titled 9, was released on November 22, 2019.[32] The album's first single, "We Back" released to country radio on September 9, 2019. It peaked at number 6 on the Country Airplay in March 2020 and number 1 on the Canadian Country chart. The album's second single, "Got What I Got" released to country radio on April 6, 2020. "Blame It on You" was released on October 26, 2020, as the album's third and final single.
On May 19, 2023, Aldean released "Try That in a Small Town" as the lead single from his eleventh album.[39] Its music video was released on July 14, generating controversy for invoking imagery related to the 2020 George Floyd protests while being filmed in front of the Maury County courthouse, the site of a 1946 race riot and a 1927 lynching of a Black man.[40] Four days after its release, CMT pulled the music video from air.[41] The song and video were denounced by fellow musicians including Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell and Margo Price[42] while drawing support from country musicians Cody Johnson and Brantley Gilbert and former president Donald Trump.[43][44][45] Amid the controversy, the song debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, Aldean's best chart performance of his career.[46][47] The next week, it rose to number one and became Aldean's first national chart-topper.[48]
On August 24, 2023, Aldean announced his eleventh album Highway Desperado, which was released on November 3, 2023, and released the song "Let Your Boys Be Country" the following day, on August 25.[49] "Let Your Boys Be Country" was later released as the album's second single on November 27, 2023.
Personal life
Aldean married Jessica Ann Ussery on August 4, 2001.[50] Together, the couple have a daughter born in 2003, and another born in 2007.[50] On September 30, 2012, Aldean admitted to having "acted inappropriately at a bar"[51] with former American Idol contestant Brittany Kerr, responding to reports linking her and Aldean. In a statement, Kerr said she had suffered "a lapse in judgment" and "would like to sincerely apologize to everyone that has been affected by this."[52] Aldean filed for divorce on April 26, 2013, citing irreconcilable differences and listing the filing date as the formal separation date.[50]
Aldean and Kerr began dating and made their first public appearance as a couple at the 2014 CMT Awards.[53] They announced their engagement in September 2014[54] and were married on March 21, 2015.[55] Their son Memphis was born on December 1, 2017.[56] Their daughter Navy was born in early 2019.[57] In August 2022, Brittany Aldean posted an Instagram video in which she stated, "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life", followed by a longer post in which she stated an opposition to sex changes for minors.[58][59] In response, Aldean's public relations firm The GreenRoom dropped him after 17 years as a client on September 1.[60]
Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Rooftop Bar in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in 2023.
Aldean owns part of a hunting company, Buck Commander, in partnership with former Major League Baseball (MLB) players Adam LaRoche, Ryan Langerhans, and Tom Martin; Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty; and fellow country singers Luke Bryan and Tyler Farr.[61] He also owns Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, which opened in Nashville in 2018.[62] A second location in Gatlinburg opened in 2023, [63] along with a third location in Pittsburgh opened in March 2024, [64] and a fourth location in Las Vegas opened in December 2024.[65] He also is a co-owner of the E3 Chophouse in Nashville with Luke Bryan and Adam LaRoche.
In 2015, Forbes estimated Aldean's annual income at $43.5 million.[66] Aldean was the seventh highest-earning country musician making about $32.5 million in 2017.[67] In 2017, Aldean was on Forbes' Celebrity 100 list, being ranked at 98.[68] Aldean became the sixth artist to receive the ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award in 2019. The award is given to artists who were consistently on top of the charts over the span of the decade.[69]
Aldean survived the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. While Aldean was performing at the Route 91 Harvest, a gunman, later identified as Stephen Paddock, began shooting into the crowd of concertgoers, killing 60 people and injuring approximately 800.
Charity work
Aldean has supported raising awareness for breast cancer research since 2004, after losing a close friend to the disease. He has raised close to $4 million for cancer research through donating a portion of each ticket sale, special merchandise, VIP meet and greets, a donate button on his website, and his annual Concert for the Cure, most of which he has contributed to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.[70]
Kenneth Eric Church is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's Sinners Like Me, produced three singles on the Billboard country charts including the top 20 hits "How 'Bout You", "Two Pink Lines", and "Guys Like Me".
"Amarillo Sky" is a song written by Big Kenny and John Rich, along with Rodney Clawson and Bart Pursley. It was originally recorded by Rich for his album Rescue Me in 2001. McBride & the Ride also recorded a version and released it as a single in 2002 from their album of the same name. Country music artist Jason Aldean later covered the song for his 2005 self-titled debut album, and his version was released as its third single in June 2006. It earned Aldean two nominations at the 2006 Academy of Country Music Awards for Video of the Year and Song of the Year, as well as video with the best direction at the CMT Music Awards.
Charles Elliott Wicks is an American country music artist and radio personality. He was one of the participants on the American reality series Nashville, which aired on Fox for two episodes before its cancellation in mid-2007. In late 2007, he signed to RCA Records Nashville as a recording artist, with his debut single "Stealing Cinderella" being released in September of that year. It served as the lead-off to his debut album Starting Now, which was released in January 2008. "All I Ever Wanted" and "Man of the House" were released as the album's second and third singles, respectively, and both have charted in the Top 40 as well.
American country music singer Jason Aldean has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, and forty solo singles. All of his music has been released through BBR Music Group, with Michael Knox as his sole record producer.
Jason Farris Brown known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American country rap musician, songwriter, entrepreneur, and former professional golfer. He is also the co-founder of record label Average Joes Entertainment. Ford has released seven albums through Average Joes and has charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. In addition, he co-wrote "Dirt Road Anthem" for Jason Aldean, "Country Must Be Country Wide" for Brantley Gilbert, and "Mind on You" for George Birge.
Josh Thompson is an American country singer-songwriter. He has released two studio albums: Way Out Here for Columbia Records Nashville, and Turn It Up for Show Dog-Universal Music, and has charted six singles on Hot Country Songs and/or Country Airplay, the highest-peaking being "Way Out Here" at No. 15. Thompson has also written songs for Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Justin Moore, Brad Paisley, Brett Young, Morgan Wallen and Darius Rucker.
Brantley Keith Gilbert is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released Modern Day Prodigal Son and Halfway to Heaven. He is now signed to the Valory division of Big Machine Records where he has released six studio albums—a deluxe edition of Halfway to Heaven, Just as I Am, The Devil Don't Sleep, Fire & Brimstone, So Help Me God, Tattoos, and 14 country chart entries, four of which have gone to number one. He also co-wrote and originally recorded Jason Aldean's singles "My Kinda Party" and "Dirt Road Anthem".
"My Kinda Party" is a song written and originally recorded by American country rock artist Brantley Gilbert from his 2009 album A Modern Day Prodigal Son. Jason Aldean covered the song and his version serves as the lead-off single to his 2010 album of the same name.
My Kinda Party is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on November 2, 2010, by Broken Bow Records. The songs were written by various songwriters including Neil Thrasher, Brantley Gilbert and Michael Dulaney.
"Don't You Wanna Stay" is a duet recorded by American singers Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson. It was written by Andy Gibson, Paul Jenkins, and Jason Sellers. It was released as the second single from Aldean's fourth studio album My Kinda Party, following Aldean's and Clarkson's performance on the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards on November 10, 2010, due to strong demands of radio stations, and was also included on the deluxe edition of Clarkson's fifth studio album Stronger (2011). The song contains elements of country and pop, and its lyrics speak of the difficulties of finding and maintaining love.
Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, was released on October 11, 2011. Her second album, Road Less Traveled, was released January 27, 2017. Alaina later achieved her first number one on the Country Airplay chart with the album's title track. Her second number one came later that year when she simultaneously topped five Billboard charts with her friend and former classmate Kane Brown on their duet "What Ifs". In addition to this song with Brown, Alaina became an in-demand duet vocalist throughout the next few years, appearing on number one collaborations with Hardy, Devin Dawson, and Dustin Lynch. Her third studio album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, was released on September 3, 2021.
"Dirt Road Anthem" is a country rap song written and sung by American singers Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert first, each of whom recorded his own version of the song. Jason Aldean covered the song for his 2010 album My Kinda Party, and released it as the third single from the album in April 2011. The song debuted as a single as Aldean's previous single, "Don't You Wanna Stay", was at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. On November 30, the song received a nomination at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Country Solo Performance. It is the best-selling song in digital history by a male country solo artist in the United States with over four million sold.
Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. is an American country singer-songwriter. He is the oldest son of singer Rhett Akins.
Tyler Lynn Farr is an American country music singer and songwriter. Originally signed to BNA Records Farr released two singles for the label before it closed. He transferred to Columbia Records Nashville, releasing two albums: Redneck Crazy in 2013 and Suffer in Peace in 2015. Overall he has charted eight singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. His highest ranking on the latter chart is "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" which placed at No. 1 in 2015.
Florida Georgia Line was an American country music duo founded in 2010 by vocalists and songwriters Tyler Hubbard of Georgia and Brian Kelley of Florida. Their 2012 debut single "Cruise" broke two major sales records: it was downloaded over seven million times, making it the first country song ever to receive the Diamond certification, and it became the best-selling digital country song, with 24 weeks at number one, until it was surpassed in July 2017 by Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road". Their music style is described as "bro-country", which incorporates production elements from rock and hip hop music, and tends to cover subject matter such as partying, drinking, driving trucks and sexual attraction.
"Night Train" is a song written by Neil Thrasher and Michael Dulaney and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released in June 2013 as the fourth single and title track from his 2012 album of the same name.
Colden Rainey Swindell is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has written singles for Craig Campbell, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery, and Luke Bryan, and has released four albums for Warner Bros. Records Nashville. He has released thirteen singles, eight of which have reached number one on the Hot Country Songs and/or Country Airplay charts. Three more singles have reached the Top 10.
"A Little More Summertime" is a song written by Jerry Flowers, Tony Martin, and Wendell Mobley and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on July 15, 2016 as the second single from Aldean's 2016 album, They Don't Know
"Got What I Got" is a song written by Thomas Archer, Alexander Palmer and Michael Tyler, and recorded by American country music singer Jason Aldean. It was released in April 2020 as the second single from his ninth studio album 9.
"If I Didn't Love You" is a song recorded by American country music singers Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood, released on July 23, 2021, as the first single from the first half of Macon on Aldean's tenth studio album Macon, Georgia, of which the first half, Macon was released on November 12, 2021. It is also Aldean's first lead single to not be co-written by Florida Georgia Line since 2012's "Take a Little Ride".
↑ Housley, Adam; Gibson, Jake; Singman, Brooke (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas shooting: At least 50 dead, more than 200 injured in massacre". Fox News. Retrieved October 2, 2017. Authorities first received calls about an active shooting at about 10:08 p.m. Country music star Jason Aldean was performing at the Route 91 Harvest Festival when the gunfire erupted as Aldean was almost shot in the head.
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