Brad Paisley

Many people believe that the road towards becoming a successful musician must be long and turbulent. There must be obstacles and people blocking the aspiring artist at every turn, with an extremely unsupportive family added to the mix. Only a random, chance encounter in a dingy bar would miraculously uncover this true talent. However Brad Paisley, a country star whose list of awards is longer than his discography, proves this theory wrong.

It all started with a grandfather that wanted to share his passion for music with a boy merely eight years of age. Warren Javis, Brad’s grandfather, gave him his first guitar in 1980 and taught him how to play. The small town of Glendale, where the Paisleys lived, was anything but unsupportive of the young talent. At the age of ten, Brad started performing at the local church, along with every Christmas and Mother’s Day event. People loved him and invited the boy and his band to club meetings and local events. This led him to a Rotary Club meeting where he performed “Born on Christmas Day”, his first self-written song. The meeting was attended by a radio station director named Tom Miller from Wheeling, West Virginia. Miller invited Paisley to Jamboree USA, and he quickly became a regular on the show. Brad’s talent for music and songwriting made him the youngest person inducted into the Jamboree USA Hall of Fame.

After graduating from high school, Paisley continued his music career by gaining an ASCAP scholarship to Belmont University. There he acquired a bachelor degree in music business administration. He continued collaborating with ASCAP through internships at the Fitzgerald-Hartley management firm and Atlantic Records. His first contract with EMI Music was signed within a week of graduating.

Throughout his years in school and college, Paisley continued to perform and write songs. He also met Kelley Lovelace and Chris DuBois, who became his songwriting partners. A fellow student from college named Frank Rogers became Paisley’s producer. By 2014, Brad Paisley released eleven studio albums, and each of them was a success.

One must never think that building a career in music is only about overcoming challenges presented by those who want to suppress the talent of worthy individuals. Brad Paisley’s story tells of the support that helped a young boy from a small town in West Virginia climb the ladder and become a true star. Love for music, talent, and tireless work on creating new songs are the tools that helped him become one of the most successful country singers in the U.S.