Jason Aldean

Emerging at the same time as fellow Nashville hit-makers Luke Bryan and Eric Church, Jason Aldean became an integral part of the mid-2000s scene which perfectly bridged the gap between country and party-loving rock. Born in Macon, Georgia, Aldean was encouraged to play the guitar by his father; inspired by the likes of George Strait, Hank Williams Jr. and Alabama, he began performing at his local VFW hall during his early teens. At the age of 15, he moved on to various talent contests and local fairs before joining the house band at his hometown's nightspot, Nashville South. While performing there, he also started to write his own material, eventually landing a publishing deal with Warner-Chappell. However, a record contract proved to be much more elusive and after several false starts, Aldean was on the verge of abandoning his musical ambitions until indie label Broken Bow Records spotted his talent and promptly signed him in 2005. Aldean's self-titled debut album followed in the same year and spawned several Top 10 country hits including a cover of McBride & The Ride's "Amarillo Sky" and the first of many number one singles, "Why." Aldean then consolidated his status as Nashville's new golden boy with an ACM Award for Top New Male Vocalist, while both 2007 sophomore Relentless, and 2009's Wide Open peaked at No. 4 on the US charts. After appearing alongside Bryan Adams on an episode of "CMT Crossroads" (CMT, 2002-), Aldean's crossover appeal received a further boost with 2010's My Kinda Party, which featured a Grammy-nominated duet with Kelly Clarkson ("Don't You Wanna Stay") and a mainstream Top 10 hit ("Dirt Road Anthem") which he would later perform at the CMT Music Awards with rapper Ludacris. In 2012, he scored his first chart-topper on the Billboard 200 with Night Train, which would go on to produce four US Country Airplay number ones including a hook-up with Bryan and Church on "The Only Way I Know." Following in the footsteps of his one-time touring partner Tim McGraw, Aldean then ventured into Hollywood when he was cast as menacing henchman Daniel in the Western thriller "Sweetwater" (2013). Sixth album Old Boots, New Dirt (2014) followed, featuring the hit "Burnin' It Down," his biggest single since 2011's "Dirt Road Anthem." 2016's They Don't Know continued the country chart success of its predecessors, though none of its four singles crossed over to the pop charts.