16 minutes | Monday, 30 October 2023
'The CountryLine Songwriter Series', is where you'll hear from some of the most successful artists and songwriters working in Nashville today. Country music is all about storytelling and this is where you'll discover the stories from the people themselves of how they managed to find their way into such a competitive industry and rise to the top. What motivates and inspires them and what they've learnt along the way.
Brad Paisley was born on October 28th, 1972, in Glen Dale, West Virginia. His passion for music began at age 8, when his grandfather gave him his first guitar. By the age of 12, the young musician was singing in church and playing in his first band. Paisley eventually secured a regular slot on Jamboree USA, a popular country music radio show. He was so popular with listeners that he was invited to join the program as a full-time musician, opening for acts such as The Judds and Roy Clark.
After two years at West Virginia's West Liberty State College, Paisley transferred to Belmont University in Nashville. At Belmont, he studied under the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers scholarship and met Frank Rogers and Kelley Lovelace, both of whom would help Paisley later in his career. A week after graduation, Paisley signed with EMI Records as a songwriter.
He made his debut as a solo artist after signing with Arista. He released his first album, “Who Needs Pictures”, in 1999. The record produced the No. 1 hits "He Didn't Have to Be", and "We Danced”. The album sold more than 1 million copies and catapulted Paisley to fame. The next year, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) named him the Best New Male Vocalist, and the Country Music Association (CMA) granted him their prestigious Horizon Award.
In February 2001, Paisley was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Several months later, he received his first Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. He also released his second album, Part II (2001), which featured his unforgettable No. 1 single "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishing Song)”.
Paisley's next album, “Mud on the Tires” (2003), was also highly successful, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard chart and featured an acclaimed duet with Alison Krauss, called "Whiskey Lullaby”.
Paisley's 2005 effort, “Time Well Wasted”, included a collaboration with Dolly Parton "When I Get Where I'm Going”. which won the CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year in 2006. The album also scored Paisley both ACM and CMA Awards for Best Album. That same year, Paisley embarked on a successful tour, with rising star Carrie Underwood serving as his opening act.
His next release, “5th Gear” (2007). Reaching the top spot on the country album charts, the album featured several No. 1 hit singles, including "Online”, "Letter to Me" and "I'm Still a Guy”. Paisley also took home several major awards that same year, winning the ACM Award for Top Male Vocalist and the CMA Award for Male Vocalist of the Year. He also won his first Grammy Award for the instrumental track "Throttleneck”.
Paisley's next album, “Play: The Guitar Album”, hit stores in November 2008, featuring collaborations with musicians such as Keith Urban, Vince Gill and B.B. King. He also made a splash that year as co-host of the CMAs, alongside Carrie Underwood, the first of many years the pair would team up to host the ceremony.
In 2009, he released his “American Saturday Night”, album. The first single off the album, "Then”, became Paisley's 14th No. 1 hit.
In 2016, Paisley unveiled a new song, "Today”, It marked the first single from his 11th studio album, “Love and War”, which also featured collaborations with rock heavyweights Mick Jagger and John Fogerty.
In October of 2019 he returned to Ireland to play Dublin’s 3Arena and chatted with Stuart Banford.