Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley (born October 28, 1972, Glen Dale, West Virginia, U.S.) is an American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist who was one of the genre’s most popular performers in the early 21st century, known for skillfully crafted songs that were often laced with wry humor.

Paisley was raised in a small town in West Virginia. At age eight he received a guitar from his grandfather, who had introduced him to country music. After performing in church and at various local events, he formed a band with his guitar teacher. When Paisley was 12, he caught the attention of the program director of a radio station in nearby Wheeling, who invited him to perform on Jamboree USA, the station’s long-running live country music program. For the next eight years he polished his act as a regular on the show. In 1991 Paisley enrolled at West Liberty State College in West Liberty, West Virginia; he later transferred to Belmont University in Nashville, where he earned (1995) a bachelor’s degree in music business.

After graduation Paisley worked as a songwriter in Nashville before releasing his debut record, Who Needs Pictures, in 1999. The album sold more than one million copies, fueled in part by the ballad “He Didn’t Have to Be,” an affectionate tribute to stepfathers that was Paisley’s first number one hit on the Billboard country singles chart. That same year he made the first of dozens of appearances at Nashville’s legendary Grand Ole Opry, into which he was later inducted (2001). In 2001, after being nominated for a Grammy Award for best new artist, Paisley returned with the album Part II. The hit single “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song)” established Paisley’s reputation as a playfully witty lyricist, and guest spots from Buck Owens and George Jones highlighted his appreciation for traditional country music at a time when many country artists downplayed the genre’s roots in a quest for crossover success.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Britannica Quiz

Pop Culture Quiz

With the release of such albums as Mud on the Tires (2003), Time Well Wasted (2005), and 5th Gear (2007), Paisley’s popularity steadily grew. His wide-ranging appeal was partially due to the diversity of material he recorded, from lighthearted novelties like “Alcohol” and “Ticks” to the Grammy-winning instrumental “Throttleneck” and the elegiac “Whiskey Lullaby,” a collaboration with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss. (Among his other duet partners during this period were Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood.) Furthermore, while Paisley remained devoted to traditional styles—gospel standards routinely appeared on his albums—his lyrics were at times strikingly contemporary, focusing on such subjects as reality television and the Internet.

After the mostly instrumental album Play (2008), Paisley recorded American Saturday Night (2009), which earned critical plaudits for its casual embrace of attitudes not typically associated with country music. The title track, for instance, was a sly paean to multiculturalism, and on “Welcome to the Future,” which Paisley claimed was inspired by the election of Pres. Barack Obama, he marveled at cultural and technological progress. By contrast, This Is Country Music (2011) was a more conventional celebration of the genre and its values, though no less impressive in its storytelling and musical artistry. With Wheelhouse (2013) Paisley continued to explore issues of cultural identity, though with mixed results. Whereas the zippy single “Southern Comfort Zone” set a nostalgic tribute to Southern heritage against an expansive view of the world beyond, the ballad “Accidental Racist,” which featured rapper LL Cool J, was an earnest attempt at interracial dialogue that many listeners found leaden and artless. Moonshine in the Trunk (2014) and Love and War (2017) were both solid country albums, the latter featuring duets with Mick Jagger and John Fogerty.