Jason Farris Brown (born August 27, 1969) known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, and former professional golfer best known for his music fusing the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

and

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

genres. He has released seven albums via

Average Joes Entertainment Average Joes Entertainment Group is an American record label specializing in alternative country, country rap and country music. The label was founded in 2008 by country rap artist Jason "Colt Ford" Brown and producer Shannon Houchins. Ford has ...

, which he co-founded. Ford has charted six times on the Hot Country Songs charts and co-wrote (with Brantley Gilbert) "

Dirt Road Anthem "Dirt Road Anthem" is a country rap song written and sung by American singers Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert first (who also wrote Aldean's hit " My Kinda Party"), each of whom recorded his own version of the song. Jason Aldean covered the song ...

", a song on his 2008 album '' Ride Through the Country'', which Jason Aldean later covered on his ''

My Kinda Party ''My Kinda Party'' is the fourth studio album released 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 Gilber ...

'' album. Ford was the first, and so far only, artist to have a Number One album on '' Billboard''

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

and

Top Rap Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

Biography

Brown was born and raised in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

. He was a

professional golf For information about professional golf see: *Professional golfer, which describes the various branches of the profession. *Professional golf tours, which covers elite professional competitive golf and links to more detailed articles about each tou ...

er, playing on the Nationwide Tour. Later, he turned his interests to music, taking influence from

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

and hip hop. Assuming the stage name Colt Ford, he released his debut album, '' Ride Through the Country'', on December 2, 2008, through

, which he cofounded. This album included the singles "No Trash in My Trailer" (a cover of a Mike Dekle/ Byron Hill song) and "Ride Through the Country" (a duet with

John Michael Montgomery John Michael Montgomery (born January 20, 1965) is an American country music singer. Montgomery began singing with his brother Eddie, who would later become known as one half of the duo Montgomery Gentry, before beginning his major-label solo c ...

), the latter of which did not chart until the week of October 10, 2009, when it debuted at number 57 on

Hot Country Hot Country is a 24-hour music format produced by Westwood One. Its playlist is composed of country music released from the late 1990s to the present. Core artists include Luke Bryan, Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum), Blake Shelton, Z ...

He also appeared on a rap remix of

Montgomery Gentry Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo founded by singers Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both Kentucky natives. They began performing together in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery's brother, John Michael Mo ...

's late-2008 Number One single "

Roll with Me "Roll with Me" is a song written by Clint Daniels and Tommy Karlas, and recorded by American country music duo Montgomery Gentry. It was released in August 2008 as the second single from their album ''Back When I Knew It All''. It became their ...

". Ford's debut album also has guest appearances from country singer

Jamey Johnson Jamey Johnson (born July 14, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single " The Dollar", the title track to his 2006 album '' The Dollar''. He was dropped fro ...

, as well as

Bone Crusher A bone crusher is a device regularly used for crushing animal bones. Bones obtained during slaughter are cleaned, boiled in water and dried for several months. After that, they are suitable for crushing with the special machine into a relativel ...

and

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

, Adrian Young of

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, the ...

, and Jeremy Popoff of Lit. The album did not enter the '' Billboard'' albums charts until 2009. Ford co-wrote and originally recorded the song "

" for his debut album ''Ride Through the Country''; it was later released by Brantley Gilbert, who co-wrote the song, on his 2010 album '' Halfway to Heaven'', and again by Jason Aldean on his album ''

'', also from 2010. Ford wrote the theme song "Buck 'em" for the

Professional Bull Riders The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, the ...

association. He also appears as a guest vocalist on the track "Tailgatin'" on

Cledus T. Judd James Barry Poole (born December 18, 1964) is an American country music artist who records under the name Cledus T. Judd. Known primarily for his parodies of popular country songs, he has been called the "Weird Al" Yankovic of country music, and ...

's 2009 album ''

Polyrically Uncorrect ''Polyrically Uncorrect'' is the tenth studio album, and fourteenth album release overall, by American country music parodist Cledus T. Judd. It was released on June 30, 2009 via E1 Music. It includes the singles "Waitin' on Obama", "Garth Must Be ...

'', a song which Ford wrote with Johnson and Popoff. Ford's second studio album, '' Chicken & Biscuits'', was released in April 2010, following the release of its title track. Ford released a third studio album on May 3, 2011, called ''Every Chance I Get''. The album's lead-off single, "Country Thang", debuted at number 55 for the country chart week ending February 19, 2011. "She Likes to Ride in Trucks", featuring

Craig Morgan Craig Morgan Greer (born July 17, 1964) is an American country music artist. A veteran of the United States Army as a forward observer, Morgan began his musical career in 2000 on Atlantic Records, releasing his self-titled debut album for th ...

, served as the album's second single. Ford's fourth album, ''

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

'', became his first number 1 album on Top Country Albums. Its first charted single is "Back", a duet with

Jake Owen Joshua Ryan Owen (born August 28, 1981), known professionally as Jake Owen, is an American country music singer, songwriter, and actor. Signed to RCA Nashville in 2006, he released his debut studio album, '' Startin' with Me'', that year. Thi ...

. "Back" is Ford's highest charting single to date, making Top 40 on Hot Country Songs. In 2012, Colt Ford headlined the Declaration Of Independence Tour with supporting acts

The Lacs The Lacs is an American country rap duo that consists of Clay "Uncle Snap" Sharpe and Brian "Rooster" King. At first, the group also featured Brandon Herndon on the three self-released albums on Side Ya Mouth Records. The Lacs have recorded six ...

Lenny Cooper Lenny Cooper (born 1988 in Jacksonville, North Carolina) is an American country rap singer-songwriter. Cooper is signed to Colt Ford's record label, Average Joes Entertainment, and released his debut album, ''Diesel Fuel'', in 2012. Cooper's sec ...

, and JB and the Moonshine Band. In the fall of 2012 Ford announced he would be touring with JJ Lawhorn on the Answer To No One Tour. Colt Ford's fifth studio album, '' Thanks for Listening'', was released on July 1, 2014. "4 Lane Gone" is the first single from his sixth studio album, ''

Love Hope Faith '' Love Hope Faith'' is the sixth studio album by American country rap artist Colt Ford. Released on May 5, 2017, the work was published through Average Joes Entertainment. Content As with Ford's previous albums, the album features multiple guest ...

''. Ford released a music video for the single on September 11, 2016 ''Love Hope Faith'' was released on May 5, 2017. Colt's next album " We the People, Volume 1" was released in September 2019.

Discography

* '' Ride Through the Country'' (2008) * '' Chicken & Biscuits'' (2010) * '' Every Chance I Get'' (2011) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Thanks for Listening'' (2014) * ''

'' (2017) * '' We the People, Volume 1'' (2019)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Colt 1969 births American country singer-songwriters American male rappers American male golfers Average Joes Entertainment artists Country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Country rap musicians Living people Musicians from Athens, Georgia Rappers from Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) Republicans 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)