Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977),
known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to
Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven albums and 40 singles. His 2010 album, ''
My Kinda Party
''My Kinda Party'' is the fourth studio album 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 Gilbert and M ...
'', is certified quadruple-platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). His 2012 album ''
Night Train'' is certified double-platinum, while his 2005
self-titled debut, 2007 album ''
Relentless'', 2009 album ''
Wide Open'', and 2014 album ''
Old Boots, New Dirt'' are all certified platinum. Aldean has received five
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
nominations throughout his career, twice for
Best Country Album.
27 of Aldean's 38 singles have reached #1 on either the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
or
Country Airplay
Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since October 20, 2012, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Hot Country Songs charts from January 20, 1990, through October 13, 2012, ...
charts. In 2023, he released "
Try That in a Small Town," which was the subject of widespread controversy following the release of its music video, whilst becoming Aldean's first number-one hit on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Early life
Jason Aldine Williams was born in
Macon, Georgia
Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
,
on February 28, 1977. His parents separated when he was three. He was raised by his mother in Macon, and during the summer he spent time with his father in
Homestead, Florida
Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in the United States, U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and ...
. He attended
Windsor Academy, a private Christian school in
Bibb County, Georgia
Bibb County is located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 157,346. Bibb County is geographically located in the Central Georgia (Middle Georgia) region, and is the largest county in the Macon metropolit ...
. Before his father went to his work, Aldean would map out guitar chords on notebook paper to show his son where to place his fingers to play the chords and Jason would sit and practice all day while his father was at work. When his father got home, he got out his own guitar and they played together. Soon he could play a song after hearing it only a few times. His early favorites included
George Strait
George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer.
Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...
's "
The Cowboy Rides Away",
Hank Williams Jr.'s "The Blues Man", and
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
's "
My Home's in Alabama".
Both of his parents encouraged young Aldean as he progressed musically. From age 14, after watching the country-music awards on television, he wanted to perform on stage. With his mother's help, he performed at the local VFW hall in Macon. He sang
John Anderson's song "
Seminole Wind" and
Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lee Lawrence (born January 27, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 19 ...
's "
Sticks and Stones". He then began performing at area talent contests and local fairs. At 15, he joined the "house band" at Georgia nightspot Nashville South.
In order to stand out, Aldean changed the spelling of his middle name, Aldine, to come up with the name Aldean.
Career
1998–2004: Career beginnings
After high school, with his father's help, Aldean and his band performed at clubs and festivals around the Southeast. With Justin Weaver (one of the band's members), Aldean began writing and recording original songs. In 1998, he performed songs from his first album at a showcase staged by
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
nightclub The Buckboard. He was approached by
Michael Knox, then of the
Warner-Chappell song-publishing company.
After signing with Warner-Chappell, Aldean moved to
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
on November 1, 1998, at the age of 21.
Aldean was offered a recording contract but was subsequently dropped. He signed with another label but again was dropped in 2000 after his label postponed his recording sessions repeatedly. Various showcases failed to bring him a contract. The last straw was an attempt at the Wildhorse Saloon where the promised label talent scouts never showed up. Frustrated and discouraged with his struggling career, Aldean gave himself six months before planning to leave Nashville and return home to Georgia. Then five weeks later, he was offered a deal from
Broken Bow Records in Nashville. Shortly after the release of
his self-titled debut album, Aldean picked up his new (and current) agent Kevin Neal. While recording ''
Relentless'', Aldean moved to Clarence Spalding and Spalding Entertainment for management.
2005–2008: ''Jason Aldean'' and ''Relentless''
Aldean's debut single, "
Hicktown", was released in early 2005.
It served as the lead-off to his
self-titled debut album and reached number 10 on the US ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
chart.
The album contained his first number one hit with "
Why
Why may refer to:
* Causality, a consequential relationship between two events
* Reason (argument), a premise in support of an argument, for what reason or purpose
* Grounding (metaphysics), a topic in metaphysics regarding how things exist in v ...
".
This album contained the number 4 hit "
Amarillo Sky",
which had previously been a non-charting single in 2002 for
McBride & the Ride. The song earned a 2006 ACM nomination for Song of the Year and Video of the Year. Aldean earned the title "Top New Male Vocalist" at the 2006
ACM Awards. Over 1,000,000 copies of the album were sold in the United States and it was certified platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
in 2007.

Aldean spent most of January 2007, in the studio with producer Michael Knox to finish his second album, ''
Relentless''.
The album was released on May 29, 2007, and at
Wal-Mart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
locations was sold with a Limited Edition
CMT Pick DVD that included Aldean's performances. The album's lead-off single, "
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
", was originally recorded by
Tracy Byrd
Tracy Lynn Byrd (born December 17, 1966) is an American country music artist. Signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, MCA Nashville Records in 1992, Byrd broke through on the country music scene that year with his 1993 single "Holdin' Heaven" ...
, but Aldean's version of it peaked at No. 6.
Its followup "
Laughed Until We Cried" became his 5th consecutive Top 10 hit.
''Relentless'' was also certified platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
, and its
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
was released as its 3rd single. The song was Aldean's lowest-charting single both in the U.S. and Canada,
failing to reach the Top 10 on the country charts.
2009–2012: ''Wide Open'' and ''My Kinda Party''
Aldean released his seventh single titled "
She's Country" on December 1, 2008. This song serves as the lead-off single from his third album ''
Wide Open'', which was released on April 7, 2009. The single debuted at No. 51 on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
chart
in late-November 2008. Being his 7th consecutive Top 40 hit on the country charts,
it is also his 1st Top 40 hit on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. It later became his second number-one hit,
and his first since "Why" in May 2006.
The next single, "
Big Green Tractor", became Aldean's third number-one hit.
''Wide Open'' debuted at No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart. "
The Truth
The Truth may refer to:
Film
* ''The Truth'' (1920 film) starring Madge Kennedy
* ''The Truth'' (1960 film) or ''La Vérité'', a French film by Henri-Georges Clouzot starring Brigitte Bardot
* ''The Truth'' (1988 film), a Hong Kong trial cri ...
" became the album's third consecutive number-one hit in January 2010,
with "
Crazy Town" being the album's fourth single and peaking at No. 2 on the country charts.
Aldean performed with
Bryan Adams
Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...
on an episode of ''
CMT Crossroads
''CMT Crossroads'' is an American television program broadcast on CMT that pairs country music artists with musicians from other music genres such as alternative rock, pop, R&B, Rock, soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, ...
'' in the beginning of May, and the episode premiered on June 26, 2009. In an interview with
''Shave'' Magazine, Aldean explained that working with Bryan on ''Crossroads'' "was great" and that "
was a lot of fun." But the real highlight for him was that he was working with Randy Owen. "I am a big fan of
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
so I got a chance to work with
Randy Owen
Randy Yeuell Owen (born December 13, 1949) is an American country musician. He is best known for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band that saw commercial success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Alabama became the most su ...
on this album (it didn't make the album but it eventually made a bonus track). It was really cool. Alabama were like '
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' for me so working with him was definitely one of the highlights," he said "I mean, both of those guys were really cool moments, but if I had to pick one highlight, it would be working with Randy
wen
Wen, wen, or WEN may refer to:
* One of several Chinese surnames:
** Wen (surname 文)
** Wen (surname 溫)
** Wen (surname 闻)
* Wen, alternate spelling for Wynn (Ƿ ƿ), a letter of the Old English alphabet
* Wen, common name for trichilemmal ...
this year."
A live DVD titled ''
Wide Open Live & More'' was released on August 25, 2009. At the 2010 CMT Music Awards, Aldean picked up 3 nominations in Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for "The Truth", as well as Collaborative Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year for his performance of "Heaven" with Bryan Adams.
In August 2010, Aldean released the single "
My Kinda Party
''My Kinda Party'' is the fourth studio album 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 Gilbert and M ...
", which entered the Hot Country Songs chart at No. 41.
It is the lead-off single from his
album of the same name, which was released on November 2, 2010. It marks as Aldean's tenth top-10 country hit.
Aldean also collaborated with
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...
on the intimate duet "
Don't You Wanna Stay". His and Clarkson's performance on November 10, 2010, at the CMA Awards received positive recognition, and debuted at No. 59 on ''Billboards Hot Country Songs chart
from unsolicited airplay for the week of November 20, 2010. In March 2011, it became Aldean's fifth number-one hit.
In early 2011, Aldean's version of "
Dirt Road Anthem", which was recorded previously by both of its writers
country rap
Country rap (also called country hip-hop, country hick-hop, and sometimes hick-hop) is a fusion genre of popular music, mixing country music with hip-hop–style singing or rapping.
History Prototypes
Early influences on the emergence of count ...
artist
Colt Ford
Jason Farris Brown (born August 27, 1969) known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American country rap musician, songwriter, entrepreneur, and former professional golfer. He is also the co-founder of record label Average Joes Entertainment. ...
and
Brantley Gilbert
Brantley Keith Gilbert (born January 20, 1985) is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released '' Modern D ...
(who also wrote "My Kinda Party"), debuted on the Hot Country Songs chart at No. 57 as an album cut
from an unsolicited airplay for the week of February 5, 2011. In March 2011, the song was chosen as the third single from ''My Kinda Party''. Aldean also collaborated with Ludacris for the song at the 2011
CMT Music Awards in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
on June 8, 2011. In addition to making #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart
for the week of July 30, 2011, it also became Aldean's first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at #7.
Aldean performed "My Kinda Party" at the start of the
2011 Home Run Derby, which was broadcast on
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
. Aldean won the CMA award for Album of the Year in 2011 as well as the Musical Event of the Year with "Don't You Wanna Stay", his duet with Kelly Clarkson. This was his first win. On October 25, 2011, it was announced that Aldean would be performing on ''The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music's Biggest Night'', the 1-hour special which took place live on Wednesday, November 30, 2011, at the
Nokia Theatre in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. "Don't You Wanna Stay" received a Grammy nomination for
Best Country Duo/Group Performance, but lost to
The Civil Wars at the
54th Grammy Awards
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles being broadcast on CBS honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011. LL Cool J hosted t ...
on February 12, 2012. The fourth single from the album was "
Tattoos on This Town", which peaked at No. 2,
followed by yet another number one single, entitled "
Fly Over States".
2012–2016: ''Night Train'' and ''Old Boots, New Dirt''

The first single from Aldean's fifth album was entitled "
Take a Little Ride". It was released on July 16, 2012. Later, the album's title was announced as ''
Night Train''. This album was released on October 16, 2012. Its second single, "
The Only Way I Know", is a collaboration among him,
Luke Bryan
Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Bryan is a five-time "Entertainer of the Year", being awarded by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Count ...
, and
Eric Church. The album's third single, entitled "
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
", is a tribute to
Joe Diffie
Joe Logan Diffie (December 28, 1958 – March 29, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. After working as a demo (music), demo singer in the mid 1980s, he signed with Epic Records' Nashville division in 1990. Between then and ...
. The album's fourth single, the
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
, was released to country radio on June 24, 2013. The fifth single, "
When She Says Baby", was released to country radio on November 18 of that same year. "Take a Little Ride", "The Only Way I Know", "Night Train", and "When She Says Baby" all peaked at number 1 on the
Country Airplay
Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since October 20, 2012, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Hot Country Songs charts from January 20, 1990, through October 13, 2012, ...
chart respectively.
During a radio interview on May 18, Aldean hinted at another possible collaboration with
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...
. He did state that it would not be on ''Night Train''. On December 16, 2014, Ludacris released an Extended Play titled ''
Burning Bridges'', in which the title track featured him and Aldean as a duet. Aldean performed "My Kinda Party" during the
People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...
on January 9, 2013. On June 5, 2013, Jason Aldean co-hosted the
2013 CMT Music Awards with actress
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. List of Kristen Bell performances, Her work includes both film and television, and List of awards and nominations received by Kristen Bell, h ...
. He and
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His debut album ''Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz album), Let Love Rule'' (1989) was characterized by a blend of Rock music, rock ...
opened the awards show singing "
American Woman".
On July 22, 2014, Aldean released a new single "
Burnin' It Down". This song would serve as the lead single off his sixth studio album ''
Old Boots, New Dirt'', which was released on October 7, 2014. This song reached No. 1 both on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.
The album's second single, "
Just Gettin' Started", was released to country radio on November 10, 2014. It reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart in March 2015. "
Tonight Looks Good on You" was released as the third single on March 23, 2015. It reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart in July 2015. also performed ''
CMT Crossroads
''CMT Crossroads'' is an American television program broadcast on CMT that pairs country music artists with musicians from other music genres such as alternative rock, pop, R&B, Rock, soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, ...
'' with
Bob Seger
Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...
song called "
Turn the Page". The album's fourth single, "
Gonna Know We Were Here
"Gonna Know We Were Here" is a song written by Brett Beavers and Brett James and recorded by American country music singer Jason Aldean. It was released in August 2015 as the fourth and final single from Aldean's 2014 album '' Old Boots, New Dirt ...
" released to country radio on August 17, 2015. It reached No. 2 on the Country Airplay chart in January 2016. Jason Aldean is one of only three artists to achieve RIAA platinum sales certification on an album released this year. His ''Old Boots, New Dirt'' album, which debuted at the top of Billboard's all-genre Top 200 chart in October, has now shipped more than one million units. This means that he is
the only country star to release a platinum-seller in 2014, and joins only Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande in platinum album certifications for collections released this year.
At the conclusion of Aldean's Burn it Down Tour, he donated over $600,000 to
Susan G. Komen for the Cure of South Florida.
2016–2018: ''They Don't Know'' and ''Rearview Town''
In July 2016 it was announced that the seventh regular studio album, ''
They Don't Know'', was set for release on September 9 of that year. Again produced by Michael Knox, the album was preceded by the single "
Lights Come On", released to country radio on April 1, 2016. The album's second single, "
A Little More Summertime", released to country radio on July 15, 2016. The album's third single, "
Any Ol' Barstool", was released to country radio on December 5, 2016. The album's fourth and final single, the title track of the album, was released to country radio on May 8, 2017. At the 2016 ACM Awards, Aldean was awarded Entertainer of the Year for the first time in his career. He would go on to win that award in 2017 and also 2018.
In March 2017, Aldean announced that he is working on his eighth album, titled ''
Rearview Town'', which was released on April 13, 2018.
The lead single, "You Make It Easy", was released on January 26, 2018.
Aldean also confirmed two other songs would appear on the album: "Gettin' Warmed Up" and "Set It Off".
On October 1, 2017, Aldean had just begun performing "
When She Says Baby" at the
Route 91 Harvest music festival on the
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...
in
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the ...
, when
Stephen Paddock began
firing into the crowd from the 32nd floor of the
Mandalay Bay Resort. Aldean and his band managed to exit the stage unharmed but 60 concertgoers died and 867 others were injured during the incident.
On October 7, Aldean opened ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' with words of support for those hurting in the aftermath of the shooting, saying that "we witnessed one of the worst tragedies in American history. Like everyone, I'm struggling to understand what happened that night (and why) and how to pick up the pieces and start to heal. But you can be sure that we're going to walk through these tough times together, every step of the way. Because when America is at its best, our bond and our spirit — it's unbreakable." He then performed a cover of "
I Won't Back Down
"I Won't Back Down" is a song by American rock musician Tom Petty. It was released in April 1989 as the lead single from his first solo album, '' Full Moon Fever''. The song was co-written by Petty and Jeff Lynne, his writing partner for the alb ...
" by
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
, who had died five days earlier.
2019–2023: ''9'' and ''Macon, Georgia''
Aldean performed at the 2019
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
Mission Statement
The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is a 501(c)(3) charity organization. The mission of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is to honor all great musicians regardless of genre or instruments. This is done by exhibiting t ...
Concert and Induction Ceremony. Aldean's ninth album, titled ''
9'', was released on November 22, 2019. The album's first single, "
We Back" released to country radio on September 9, 2019. It peaked at number 6 on the Country Airplay in March 2020 and number 1 on the Canadian Country chart. The album's second single, "
Got What I Got
"Got What I Got" is a song written by Thomas Archer, Alexander Palmer and Michael Tyler, and recorded by American country music singer Jason Aldean. It was released in April 2020 as the second single from his ninth studio album ''9 (Jason Aldean a ...
" released to country radio on April 6, 2020. "
Blame It on You" was released on October 26, 2020, as the album's third and final single.
On July 23, 2021, Aldean released the single "
If I Didn't Love You", featuring
Carrie Underwood. It was the leadoff single to his tenth studio album, a
double album project titled ''
Macon, Georgia
Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
''. The first half, ''Macon'', was released on November 12, 2021. On January 14, 2022, "
Trouble with a Heartbreak" was released as the album's second single and was the leadoff single to the second half of the album, ''Georgia'', which was released on April 22, 2022.
On March 25, 2022, Aldean and
Brantley Gilbert
Brantley Keith Gilbert (born January 20, 1985) is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released '' Modern D ...
released the single "
Rolex® on a Redneck". On July 18, 2022, Aldean released "
That's What Tequila Does" to
country radio
Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. T ...
as the third and final single off ''Macon, Georgia''. In November 2022, Aldean released his version of
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
's "
Christmas in Dixie".
2023–present: "Try That in a Small Town" and ''Highway Desperado''
On May 19, 2023, Aldean released "Try That in a Small Town" as the lead single from his eleventh album. Its music video was released on July 14, generating controversy for invoking imagery related to the 2020
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...
while being filmed in front of the
Maury County courthouse, the site of a 1946 race riot and a 1927
lynching of a Black man. Four days after its release,
CMT pulled the music video from air. The song and video were denounced by fellow musicians including
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
,
Jason Isbell
Michael Jason Isbell ( ; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. One of the most celebrated contemporary songwriters in his genre, his lyrics are defined by their raw emotional honesty. Isbell began his career as a me ...
and
Margo Price while drawing support from country musicians
Cody Johnson and
Brantley Gilbert
Brantley Keith Gilbert (born January 20, 1985) is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released '' Modern D ...
and former/current president
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
. Amid the controversy, the song debuted at number two on the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...
, Aldean's best chart performance of his career. The next week, it rose to number one and became Aldean's first national chart-topper.
On August 24, 2023, Aldean announced his eleventh album ''
Highway Desperado'', which was released on November 3, 2023, and released the song "
Let Your Boys Be Country" the following day, on August 25. "Let Your Boys Be Country" was later released as the album's second single on November 27, 2023.
Personal life
Aldean married Jessica Ann Ussery on August 4, 2001.
Together, the couple have a daughter born in 2003, and another born in 2007.
On September 30, 2012, Aldean admitted to having "acted inappropriately at a bar" with former ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' contestant Brittany Kerr, responding to reports linking her and Aldean. In a statement, Kerr said she had suffered "a lapse in judgment" and "would like to sincerely apologize to everyone that has been affected by this." Aldean filed for divorce on April 26, 2013, citing irreconcilable differences and listing the filing date as the formal separation date.
Aldean and Kerr began dating and made their first public appearance as a couple at the 2014 CMT Awards. They announced their engagement in September 2014 and were married on March 21, 2015. Their son Memphis was born on December 1, 2017. Their daughter Navy was born in early 2019. In August 2022, Brittany Aldean posted an
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
video in which she stated, "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my
tomboy
A tomboy is a girl or young woman who generally expresses masculine traits. Such traits may include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and engaging in activities and behaviors traditionally associated with boys or men.
Origins
The w ...
phase. I love this girly life", followed by a longer post in which she stated an opposition to sex changes for minors. In response, Aldean's
public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
firm The GreenRoom dropped him after 17 years as a client on September 1.
Aldean owns part of a hunting company, Buck Commander, in partnership with former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) players
Adam LaRoche,
Ryan Langerhans, and
Tom Martin;
Willie Robertson of ''
Duck Dynasty''; and fellow country singers
Luke Bryan
Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Bryan is a five-time "Entertainer of the Year", being awarded by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Count ...
and
Tyler Farr
Tyler Lynn Farr (born February 5, 1984) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Originally signed to BNA Records Farr released two singles for the label before it closed. He transferred to Columbia Records Nashville, releasing two a ...
. He also owns Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, which opened in Nashville in 2018. A second location in
Gatlinburg opened in 2023, along with a third location in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
opened in March 2024, and a fourth location in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
opened in December 2024. He also is a co-owner of the E3 Chophouse in Nashville with Luke Bryan and Adam LaRoche.
In 2015, ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' estimated Aldean's annual income at $43.5 million. Aldean was the seventh highest-earning country musician making about $32.5 million in 2017. In 2017, Aldean was on Forbes' Celebrity 100 list, being ranked at 98. Aldean became the sixth artist to receive the ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award in 2019. The award is given to artists who were consistently on top of the charts over the span of the decade.
Charity work
Aldean has supported raising awareness for breast cancer research since 2004, after losing a close friend to the disease. He has raised close to $4 million for cancer research through donating a portion of each ticket sale, special merchandise, VIP meet and greets, a donate button on his website, and his annual Concert for the Cure, most of which he has contributed to
Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Political beliefs
Aldean endorsed
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
in the
2024 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...
.
Band members
* Jason Aldean – lead vocals, guitar, piano
* Tully Kennedy – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Kurt Allison – lead guitar
* Rich Redmond – drums, percussion
* Carl Ray (Jay) Jackson – pedal steel guitar, banjo, backing vocals
* Jack Sizemore – guitar, backing vocals
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Jason Aldean
Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977), known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven alb ...
'' (2005)
*''
Relentless'' (2007)
*''
Wide Open'' (2009)
*''
My Kinda Party
''My Kinda Party'' is the fourth studio album 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 Gilbert and M ...
'' (2010)
*''
Night Train'' (2012)
*''
Old Boots, New Dirt'' (2014)
*''
They Don't Know'' (2016)
*''
Rearview Town'' (2018)
*''
9'' (2019)
*''
Macon, Georgia
Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
'' (2021–2022)
*''
Highway Desperado'' (2023)
Tours
Headlining
*2008:
CMT ON TOUR: Relentless
*2010: Wide Open Tour
*2011–12: My Kinda Party Tour
*2013:
Night Train Tour
*2014–15:
Burn It Down Tour
**Twelve shows in 2015 were merged with
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country singer. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, he released his debut, '' In My Wildest Dreams'', in 1994, and has since released 19 follow-ups. His albums spawned 27 singles tha ...
(''
The Big Revival Tour'')
*2016:
We Were Here/Six String Circus Tour
*2017: They Don't Know Tour
*2018: High Noon Neon Tour
*2019: Ride All Night Tour
*2020: We Back Tour
*2021: Back in the Saddle Tour
*2022: Rock N' Roll Cowboy Tour
*2023: Highway Desperado Tour
*2024: Highway Desperado Tour
*2024: Rock the Country Tour
Supporting
*2006: Me and My Gang Tour (with
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...
)
*2007: Still Feels Good Tour (with Rascal Flatts)
*2007: Free and Easy Summer Tour (with
Dierks Bentley
Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Bentley moved to Nashville in the late 90s to pursue a career in music, leading up to his releasing the self-funded and independent album Do ...
and
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...
)
*2008: Live Your Voice Tour (with
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...
)
*2010: Last Rodeo Tour (with
Brooks & Dunn)
Filmography
*''
CMT Crossroads
''CMT Crossroads'' is an American television program broadcast on CMT that pairs country music artists with musicians from other music genres such as alternative rock, pop, R&B, Rock, soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, ...
'' with
Bryan Adams
Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...
(2009),
Bob Seger
Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...
(2014)
*''
Sweet Vengeance'' (2013)
*''
CMT Music Awards'' (2013): Co-Host with
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. List of Kristen Bell performances, Her work includes both film and television, and List of awards and nominations received by Kristen Bell, h ...
*''
The Voice'' (Fall 2021): Advisor for
Team Kelly
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
Other awards
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldean, Jason
1977 births
2017 Las Vegas shooting
21st-century American male singers
21st-century American singers
American country rock musicians
American country rock singers
BBR Music Group artists
Bro-country singers
Country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state)
Country musicians from Tennessee
Country pop musicians
Crime witnesses
Living people
Musicians from Macon, Georgia