The CountryLine Songwriter Series with Brad Paisley

10/30/23 • 15 min

'The CountryLine Songwriter Series', is where you'll hear from some of the most successful artists and songwriters working in Nashville today. Country music is all about storytelling and this is where you'll discover the stories from the people themselves of how they managed to find their way into such a competitive industry and rise to the top. What motivates and inspires them and what they've learnt along the way.

Brad Paisley was born on October 28th, 1972, in Glen Dale, West Virginia. His passion for music began at age 8, when his grandfather gave him his first guitar. By the age of 12, the young musician was singing in church and playing in his first band. Paisley eventually secured a regular slot on Jamboree USA, a popular country music radio show. He was so popular with listeners that he was invited to join the program as a full-time musician, opening for acts such as The Judds and Roy Clark.

After two years at West Virginia's West Liberty State College, Paisley transferred to Belmont University in Nashville. At Belmont, he studied under the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers scholarship and met Frank Rogers and Kelley Lovelace, both of whom would help Paisley later in his career. A week after graduation, Paisley signed with EMI Records as a songwriter.

He made his debut as a solo artist after signing with Arista. He released his first album, “Who Needs Pictures”, in 1999. The record produced the No. 1 hits "He Didn't Have to Be", and "We Danced”. The album sold more than 1 million copies and catapulted Paisley to fame. The next year, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) named him the Best New Male Vocalist, and the Country Music Association (CMA) granted him their prestigious Horizon Award.

In February 2001, Paisley was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Several months later, he received his first Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. He also released his second album, Part II (2001), which featured his unforgettable No. 1 single "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishing Song)”.

Paisley's next album, “Mud on the Tires” (2003), was also highly successful, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard chart and featured an acclaimed duet with Alison Krauss, called "Whiskey Lullaby”.

Paisley's 2005 effort, “Time Well Wasted”, included a collaboration with Dolly Parton "When I Get Where I'm Going”. which won the CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year in 2006. The album also scored Paisley both ACM and CMA Awards for Best Album. That same year, Paisley embarked on a successful tour, with rising star Carrie Underwood serving as his opening act.

His next release, “5th Gear” (2007). Reaching the top spot on the country album charts, the album featured several No. 1 hit singles, including "Online”, "Letter to Me" and "I'm Still a Guy”. Paisley also took home several major awards that same year, winning the ACM Award for Top Male Vocalist and the CMA Award for Male Vocalist of the Year. He also won his first Grammy Award for the instrumental track "Throttleneck”.

In October of 2019 he returned to Ireland to play Dublin’s 3Arena and chatted with Stuart Banford.

CountryLine brings country music to the world through our radio stations, a TV show that reaches 90 million homes, countless interviews with massive stars and great live sessions. Download the CountryLine app to experience all this in one place:

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paisley's next album, “Mud on the Tires” (2003), was also highly successful, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard chart and featured an acclaimed duet with Alison Krauss, called "Whiskey Lullaby”.

In October of 2019 he returned to Ireland to play Dublin’s 3Arena and chatted with Stuart Banford.

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

The CountryLine Songwriter Series with Charlie Worsham

Born on September 1st, 1985, in Jackson, Mississippi, music became Charlie Worsham’s main interest at a young age. He started on the banjo and was good enough by the age of ten to play on-stage at the Ryman Auditorium with bluegrass great Jimmy Martin, and after winning a Junior National Banjo Championship at the age of 12, he played on-stage at the Grand Ole Opry, an accomplishment for a musician of any age. He consequently learned to play fiddle, mandolin, and guitar, and while living and working as a musician in Nashville was always his goal, he opted to attend the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston following his graduation from high school.

Eventually Worsham did relocate to Nashville, where he worked on his songwriting and did session work. He also joined the critically lauded and respected Nashville band KingBilly, remaining with the group for nearly three years before deciding to go solo. Signing with Warner Bros. Records, he began recording a debut album. A single from the project, "Could It Be", which Worsham co-wrote, was released early in 2013 and reached 28 on Billboard's Country charts.

Worsham switched directions on his 2017 sophomore set “Beginning of Things”, emphasizing his sense of humour, storytelling, and penchant for soul. In 2019, Worsham released a witty single, "I Hope I'm Stoned (When Jesus Takes Me Home)", which found him backed by Old Crow Medicine Show. Worsham has also sat in on sessions for Vince Gill, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, and Carrie Underwood.

Now as he releases his new project “Compadres”, he chats with Stuart Banford.

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

The CountryLine Songwriter Series with Riley Green

A native of Alabama, Riley Green grew up with an equal interest in sports and music. Since first releasing his self-titled EP in 2018. His songs like the No. 1 hit “There Was This Girl”, the heart-tugger “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” and his chart-topping collaboration with Thomas Rhett, “Half of Me”, have made Riley synonymous with what Country music does best: making listeners feel something with his no-gimmick, relatable writing, and classic feel.

Riley is riding a wave of success after being named the Academy of Country Music’s 2020 New Male Artist of the Year, and serving as direct support for both Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs, the latter joins Riley on his current single “Different ‘Round Here”. His new album “Ain’t My Last Rodeo”, produced by Dann Huff, is more of the signature sound Riley Green’s fan have come to know and love from the good ol’ boy who still lives in his hometown of Jacksonville. The new project is heavily influenced by the rural, small town and slower way of life at home and time spent with his family.

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.