Brad Paisley

February 11, 1:45 PMCelebrity Profile ExaminerAndy Williamson

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BRAD PAISLEY

Here in America, the home of country music, there are superstars who define their generation.  From Hank and Willie, to Waylon and Alan, to the Georges (Jones and Strait).  If  there is any contemporary artist who seems destined to take his place among these other greats, it must be Brad Paisley.

Born in Glen Dale, West Virginia on October 28th, 1972, Brad Douglas Paisley was steeped in country music from the time he was but a broth of a child.  He got his first guitar at 8, wrote his first song at 12, and by the time he turned 13, he was opening for such country legends as Ricky Skaggs, The Judds and George Jones at the Capital Music Hall in Wheeling, WV.

After graduating from John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, Brad attended Nashville’s Belmont University, riding through on a fully-paid scholarship from the ASCAP.  While there, Brad met Frank Rogers, a fellow student who would become his producer.  He also met Kelley Lovelace, who would become his songwriting partner.  After graduation, EMI Music Publishing signed Brad to a songwriting contract -- for which they quickly received David Kersh’s hit Another You, and David Ball’s Watching My Baby Not Come Back.

In 1999, after signing with Arista Nashville, Brad produced his first album, Who Needs Pictures.  That same year, he made his debut on The Grand Ole Opry.  The following year, he received both the Academy of Country Music's award for Best New Male Vocalist and the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.  Soon after, Brad became the youngest member inducted into The Grand Ole Opry -- he did so wearing Buck Owens legendary canary-yellow rhinestone Nudie jacket.  Brad told CNN: "I love Buck dearly.  He's become like a second father practically.  When I was asked to join the Opry, I wore the exact same jacket he wore when he taped 'Live at Carnegie Hall' in the '60s."

In May of 2002, Brad released his second album, Part II, a nod to movie sequels.  By August, it was certified platinum.  The song, Too Country, with whom Brad was aided vocally by George Jones and Buck Owens, was later named Vocal Event of the Year by the Country Music Association.  He would also win the CMA Music Video of the Year for I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song).  Among several notable celebrities who made guest appearances in the video, was actress Kimberly Williams, who would not only appear in a number of Brad’s later videos, but would soon become his wife.  Regarding her, Brad said, "I'd liked her in 'Father of the Bride' and had written a song about the movie.  When we were talking about making a video for 'I'm Gonna Miss Her,' I naturally asked her to be in it.  When I called, I definitely had other motives."  They were married in 2003.

That same year, Brad released his third album, Mud On The Tires.  The album included the single Celebrity, which poked fun at fame and reality TV. Brad told CNN:  "I have a really good time taking country music and making a real-life, almost sitcom out of some of the songs.”  Whiskey Lullaby, Brad’s duet with Alison Krauss, was the surprise hit, however -- it would earn him two ACM Awards for Best Vocal Event and Best Video.

Brad’s forth album, Time Well Wasted, was released in 2005.  It would go on to win the CMA Award for Best Album, as well as Album of the Year at the 2006 ACM Awards.

In 2007, Brad and Kimberly welcomed their first child, a son named William Huckleberry Paisley.  Also that year, Brad would win the ACM Award for Top Male Vocalist.  The CMA awarded him Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for Online, from his fifth album, 5th Gear.  Brad would tell Billboard: "It's a fun time to be me."

Brad’s sixth album, Play, was released in November of 2008 -- it was largely instrumental, and featured guest musicians, Keith Urban, Vince Gill, B.B. King, Albert Lee, and (a posthumous) Buck Owens, among others.

When Brad isn’t touring the nation on his incredibly popular concerts, he splits his family time between homes in Franklin, Tennessee and Malibu, California.

Brad and Kimberly are expecting their second child in April 2009.