Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean Bio

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 and has released eleven studio albums and dozens of singles. His 2010 album My Kinda Party is certified quadruple-platinum and his 2012 album Night Train is double-platinum; several other albums have been certified platinum. Aldean has received five Grammy Award nominations and multiple major country awards, and many of his singles have reached number one on country charts. He is known for blending country and country-rock styles and for a string of commercially successful releases across the 2000s and 2010s.

Early Life and Background

Jason Aldine Williams was born in Macon, Georgia, 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. He attended Windsor Academy, a private Christian school in Bibb County, Georgia. 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’s “The Cowboy Rides Away”, Hank Williams Jr.’s “The Blues Man”, and Alabama’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’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.

Path to Singer

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 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 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.

Jason Aldean Career

Early Career (1998-2008)

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.

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 Hot Country Songs chart. The album contained his first number one hit with “Why”. 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 in 2007.

Breakthrough (2009-2016)

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 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” 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. In August 2010, Aldean released the single “My Kinda Party”, 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.

In early 2011, Aldean’s version of “Dirt Road Anthem”, which was recorded previously by both of its writers country rap artist Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert, 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 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.

Notable Works and Milestones

Aldean performed “My Kinda Party” at the start of the 2011 Home Run Derby, which was broadcast on ESPN. 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. 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.

Jason Aldean Award Nominations

Jason Aldean has received numerous award nominations throughout his career, including five Grammy Award nominations. His nominations span categories such as Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance. In addition to Grammy nominations, Aldean has been recognized by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and Country Music Association (CMA) multiple times for his vocal performances and songwriting.

Jason Aldean Awards Won

Jason Aldean has won multiple prestigious awards throughout his career. He received the Top New Male Vocalist award at the 2006 ACM Awards. He won the CMA award for Album of the Year in 2011 for “My Kinda Party” and Musical Event of the Year for his duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Kelly Clarkson. Aldean has also won Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In 2019, he received the ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award, recognizing his consistent chart success over the previous ten years.

Jason Aldean Family

Jason Aldean was married to Jessica Ann Ussery from 2001 to 2013. Together, they have two daughters: one born in 2003 and another born in 2007. Aldean married Brittany Kerr in 2015. Their son Memphis was born in December 2017, and their daughter Navy was born in early 2019. The couple currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with their children.

Personal Life

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. 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.