Brad Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter from Glen Dale, West Virginia.
He stated that his love of country music stems from his maternal grandfather, who gave Paisley his first guitar at age 8 and taught him how to play. At age 12 Paisley wrote his first song, and by 13 he was the opening act for country singers such as Ricky Skaggs and George Jones.
Paisley graduated from John Marshall High School in Glen Dale and enrolled at Belmont University (from 1993 to 1995). While in college, he met Frank Rogers, a fellow student who went on to serve as his producer. Paisley also met Kelley Lovelace , who became his songwriting partner.
After graduating from Belmont, Paisley signed a songwriting contract with EMI Music Publishing. His debut as a singer was with the label Arista Nashville, and the song was "Who Needs Pictures" (released February 22, 1999). That May, he made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Seven months later he had his first #1 hit: "He Didn't Have To Be."
In 2000, Paisley won the Country Music Association's (CMA) Horizon Award and the Academy of Country Music's best new male vocalist trophy. He received his first Grammy Award nomination a year later. On February 17, 2001, after forty appearances on the show, he was inducted into the Opry Hall of Fame.
In 2002, he won the CMA Music Video of the Year for "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)." Featured in that video were Little Jimmy Dickens, Kimberly Williams, Dan Patrick, and Jerry Springer.
Paisley released his third album, Mud on the Tires (2003), following Who Needs Pictures and Part II. The album features the hit song "Celebrity," which parodies reality shows such as Fear Factor and included such famous people as Jason Alexander, Little Jimmy Dickens, Trista Rehn, and William Shatner; and the title track (a number 1 hit in January 2005).
