Jason Aldean
A Perfect Fit for Wrangler Retro® Jeans
One of the hottest new stars in Country, platinum artist Jason Aldean was the ACM Top New Male Vocalist in 2006, headlined his 2008 CMT Tour and continues to top the Country Billboard charts in 2009 with his iconic songs, "She's Country" and "Big Green Tractor." Rooted in the tradition of great country artists before him, Jason brings his own personal style to high-energy songs with a hard-driving country rock beat and powerful lyrics. Like the Wrangler Retro® Jeans he wears, Jason is hard working, cool and comfortable with who he is. Wrangler® is proud to have him on board as our exclusive celebrity spokesman for our new Wrangler Retro® Jeans. Read more.
Inspiration and a calling to a career in country music came early to Jason. After watchin an awards show decided to try performing, so his mother arranged for him to sing two songs at the VFW Hall in Macon. After that, he began performing at area talent contests and local fairs. At 15, he joined the house band at the Macon nightspot Nashville South. A year later, he bought his first vehicle with money he'd earned singing, a 1985 Toyota pickup with a rusted-out tailgate. By the time of his high school graduation, he decided to pursue music full-time.
"My dad played the guitar and is a pretty good singer. He's really the one who put the music bug in me, I guess. He's a big fan of Merle Haggard and Johnny Rodriguez. I was going to country shows by the time I was in second grade. My first concert was Kenny Rogers and The Gatlin Brothers. The first record I remember having was Mountain Music by Alabama. I've still got it. They were always my favorites growing up, and still are. I've seen them in concert 10 or 15 times."
Jason moved to Nashville in 1998 and a month later he was offered a recording contract. When that didn't pan out, he signed with another label immediately afterward. However, after postponing his recording sessions repeatedly, the second label dropped him in 2000. The next three years brought a marriage and a daughter but no career progress. But after a showcase at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville in early 2004, manager Lawrence Mathis approached him, impressed with his talent. Aldean said he had six months to make something happen or else he'd be leaving Nashville. Within five weeks, Mathis secured him a record deal with independent label Broken Bow Records.
When the Broken Bow deal came through at the last possible minute, it was great news but certainly not a guarantee of anything. Independent labels had struggled for years to be taken seriously at radio. But label founder Benny Brown had been building his brand and a promotions team for several years by the time Aldean came along. They'd even helped singer/songwriter Craig Morgan thrive after being dropped from a major, landing big hits and paving the way for Aldean's "Hicktown" and all that would follow, including the momentous ACM win. Aldean says that was the no-doubt high point of his career so far.
After selling two million copies of his first two albums, topping the charts with five smash hits, racking up award nominations and hitting every stop on the requisite "new artist" tour circuit for the last three years, country rocker Jason Aldean is running full throttle. Having just wrapped his first full and very successful headlining tour, he's prepared to leverage that momentum with the release of his highly anticipated third album, Wide Open, which was released on April 7th 2009.
Aldean's debut of "She's Country," the first single off the forthcoming CD and now the fastest-rising single of his career to date, was introduced with a lights-out performance on the CMA Awards in November.
As the title implies, Wide Open celebrates the unlimited opportunities life offers, while recognizing the all-too-familiar speed bumps along the way. "Wide Open is the only way I know how to live," explains Aldean. "I don't do anything halfway, and you never have to guess on where I stand on things. I'm pretty much an open book. I understand there may be hitches along the way, but if I'm in, I'm in no matter what."
