Brad Paisley Biography

Over the course of four albums, including the most recent top-seller, Time
Well Wasted, Brad Paisley has grown from country music’s favorite young traditionalist to its most unpredictable hitmaker and most slyly exciting concert performer.

At first, we marveled at the breadth of his talents as a multi-threat singer,
songwriter, guitarist, performer. Now we marvel at the breadth of Paisley’s vision: Who could have foreseen that an artist so rooted in tradition could succeed in taking the music he loves in so many creative directions and do
so with such entertaining style?

His sold-out headlining concerts reveal similar surprises: From the
comp-uter animated cartoons he creates and presents during his shows
to the amusing way he leads his crack band through their breakneck
instrumentals, Paisley broadens the idea of how country music can be
presented and how music can hold an audience’s attention in a multi-
media age.

Mostly, he stays fresh by challenging himself to keep coming up with some-
thing newand unexpected. For him, the variety and innovations serve one goal: To entertain his fans. “Every move is about creating an enjoyable experience for the audience,” says the laid-back West Virginian. “We want
to take them on a musical ride that has a lot of different emotions and textures to it.”

That’s one reason he’s repeatedly remained at the forefront in the number
of awards and categories in which he’s competing at both the CMA and ACM shows. His four 2006 Grammy nominations led the country field, and since
the release of his first album in 1999, Paisley’s five CMA wins are the most
of any new artist to emerge during that time. Moreover, his five No. 1 hits indicate his consistent success at radio, but the number is even more
striking when realizing that several of his career-making fan favorites.
“Whiskey Lullaby,” “Alcohol,” “Celebrity,” “Little Moments”—aren’t among those five.

Along the way, Paisley’s four Arista Nashville albums have all been certified Platinum or Double Platinum, with total sales well in excess of six million copies, while his two most recent discs—Mud on the Tires and Time Well Wasted—debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

Of course, statistics don’t measure his remarkable range; for that you
have to look at the musical and topical variety found on his albums. When Paisley sings about drinking, he can go from the clever social mirror of “Alcohol” to the dark devastation of Song of the Year award winner,
“Whiskey Lullaby.” When he sings about relationships, he can shift from
the comical reality of “Little Moments” to the poignancy of “We Danced,”
and from the tongue-in-cheek humor of “I’m Gonna Miss Her” to the
sincere directness of “I Wish You’d Stay.”

Paisley observes, “I don’t want to be one of those artists where someone says, ‘All the songs sound the same.’ Similarly, he wants his songs, even
the witty ones, to be anchored in reality—for someone to be moved or to laugh because they recognize the situation, no matter how dramatic or
funny it may be.

“I think songwriting is at its best when it’s a reflection of life, and that’s
my goal with my songs,” he says. “Anything that has something humorous
in it is because I’ve seen something like that and it tickled me. At the same time, anything that’s serious or deep, it comes from something I’ve been through or observed and wanted to write about it.”

The variety isn’t just in the themes and lyrics; it’s also in the musical arrangements. Embracing shuffles, swing, bluegrass, ballads and blues
into his songs, Paisley blends traditional and modern influences into
something seamless and distinctive, yet always country at its core.
“I am a fan of a lot of different styles of music,” he says, “and I’m
always looking to incorporate them into what I’m doing.”

That value of being connected is important to Paisley. He draws on the
values of family and community in his songs, his stage show and in his
home life. He and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, recently purchased 85 acres outside of Nashville. The couple is living in the 100-
year-old farm house on the property while building a log cabin for their permanent home. “It’s really been a godsend, I plan to have this land forever” Paisley says of his land, from which, on a clear day, he can
see as far as four mountain ridges in the distance.

But that’s how Paisley thinks: For the long term. He’s always had his eye
on building something that lasts—whether it’s his music, his concerts, hisrelationships or his land. He’s going to be with us a while, so settle in
and enjoy the ride.