Jason Aldean

1977-present

Jason Aldean’s latest song, “Try That in a Small Town,” drew criticism from listeners and members of the media for lyrics and a music video perceived as racist and violent. Released in May, the song includes lyrics that allude to violence against outsiders who offend “good ol’ boys” in a small town, and the music video, released on July 14, 2023, took place at a courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a lynching occurred in 1927. CMT stopped broadcasting the video in response to the backlash.

Country music superstar Jason Aldean spent his first years in the music business toiling in obscurity. He broke out with a self-titled album in 2005, and over the following years, he has become one of country’s top acts on the strength of acclaimed albums like Wide Open and My Kinda Party. Following a decade of hits, he garnered his first Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Award in 2016.

FULL NAME: Jason Aldine Williams
BORN: February 28, 1977
BIRTHPLACE: Macon, Georgia
SPOUSES: Jessica Ann Ussery (2001-2013) and Brittany Kerr (2015-present)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Keeley, Kendyl, Memphis, and Navy

Jason Aldean was born Jason Aldine Williams on February 28, 1977, in Macon, Georgia. He continued to live with his mom, Debbie, after his parents split when he was 3, and spent summers with his dad, Barry, in Florida.

Aldean honed his musical talents at an early age and made his first public appearance as a singer at age 14. He also was a star baseball player at Windsor Academy, drawing the interest of college teams. However, rather than accept an athletic scholarship, he elected to pursue music after high school.

With his father working as his booking agent, Aldean began landing gigs in bars and other small venues throughout the Southeast. He seemingly hit the big time by signing with Warner-Chapell Publishing, prompting a move to Nashville in 1998, but instead found his career stalling. Another contract, with Capitol Records Nashville, also failed to produce an album.

Jason Aldean

Close to abandoning his dream, Aldean in 2003 caught the attention of talent scout Lawrence Mathis, who brought the independent label Broken Bow into the mix. Aldean put together a self-titled debut album for the label, with his first single, “Hicktown,” cracking the Billboard country Top 10 in 2005. His follow-up single, “Why,” shot all the way to No. 1, paving the path to stardom for the former struggling artist.

Relentless and Wide Open

Aldean’s sophomore album, Relentless (2007), didn’t quite fulfill some of the high expectations, despite the success of its lead single, “Johnny Cash.” However, the country boy blew away fans and critics alike with his third album, Wide Open (2009), with the tracks “She’s Country,” “Big Green Tractor,” and “The Truth” all rocketing to No. 1.

My Kinda Party

Amazingly, Aldean fared even better with his fourth studio effort, My Kinda Party (2010). “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” “Fly Over States,” and “Dirt Road Anthem”—an unusual country-rap song—all hit No. 1, propelling the album to multiplatinum status.

Night Train and Old Boots, New Dirt

Upon its 2012 release, Aldean’s Night Train became his third album to reach No. 1. He followed with yet another impressive effort, 2014’s Old Boots, New Dirt, which remained on the charts well into 2015 on the strength of the hit singles “Burnin’ It Down,” “Just Gettin’ Started,” “Tonight Looks Good on You,” and “Gonna Know We Were Here.”

After a decade as one of country’s top acts, Aldean earned recognition as the Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year in 2016.

They Don’t Know and Rearview Town

Also in 2016, Aldean released They Don’t Know, which produced three No. 1 country singles and became his latest album to top the Billboard 200. His follow-up effort, 2018’s Rearview Town, counted the title track and “Drowns the Whiskey,” a collaboration with Miranda Lambert, among its hits.

9

Aldean saw his run of three consecutive ACM Entertainer of the Year awards snapped in 2019, but that year he claimed an even more impressive honor as the ACM’s Dick Clark Artist of the Decade. Later in 2019, he delivered the single “We Back,” ahead of the release of his ninth studio album, appropriately titled 9.

Macon, Georgia

Aldean’s 10^th studio album—together known as Macon, Georgia—was a double album released in two parts. The first, Macon, dropped on November 12, 2021, while the second, Georgia, was released on April 22, 2022. The first single, “If I Didn’t Love You” was released on September 27, 2021 and featured Carrie Underwood as a guest vocalist. Macon and Georgia each separately debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200.

Upcoming New Album, Song Controversy

Aldean plans to release his 11^th studio album, whose name hasn’t yet been released. The album’s first single, “Try That in a Small Town,” was released in May 2023. The song drew criticism from listeners and members of the media for lyrics and a music video perceived as racist and violent. The song includes lyrics that allude to violence against outsiders who offend “good ol’ boys” in a small town, and the music video, released in mid-July, took place at a courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a lynching occurred in 1927. CMT stopped broadcasting the video within days of its release in response to the backlash.

Aldean endured a horrifying moment as a featured act of the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017. While in the midst of performing, his pregnant wife behind the stage, a gunman began firing into the crowd from the 32^nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Aldean and his wife escaped unscathed, but the rampage left nearly 60 people dead and wounded another 500-plus victims.

Shortly afterward, the singer released a statement in which he announced he was temporarily postponing his tour. “I feel like out of respect for the victims, their families and our fans, it is the right thing to do,” the statement read.

Additionally, he delivered an emotional post on Twitter. “Something has changed in this country and in this world lately that is scary to see,” he wrote. “This world is becoming the kind of place that I am scared to raise my children in . . .We are all humans and we are all Americans and its time to start acting like it and stand together as ONE!”

Aldean met his first wife, Jessica Ussery, in high school. They married in August 2001 and had two daughters, Keeley (born in 2003) and Kendyl (born in 2007), before the country star filed for divorce in April 2013.

Aldean married his second wife, Brittany Kerr, in March 2015. Kerr is a former American Idol contestant and pro football cheerleader. Their son, Memphis, was born in December 2017. The following summer, the couple announced that they were having another child; their daughter, Navy, was born in February 2019.

• I think we all hope that people are still listening to our music years down the road. But I’ve never done anything with the intention of that happening. I want to go out, make music my way, and never be put in a box, just be allowed to experiment and be an artist.

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Colin McEvoy

Senior News Editor, Biography.com

Colin McEvoy joined the Biography.com staff in 2023, and before that had spent 16 years as a journalist, writer, and communications professional. He is the author of two true crime books: Love Me or Else and Fatal Jealousy. He is also an avid film buff, reader, and lover of great stories.