Brad Paisley Through the Years

Brad Paisley has been in country music for over 20 years, and in that time, he’s amassed over 11 million album sales, eight No. 1 albums, 21 No. 1 singles including a run of 10 consecutive chart-toppers, three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards, and two American Music Awards.

Paisley has headlined his own tours for over a decade, he’s a member of the Grand Ole Opry and an inspirational and hilarious Instagram presence, earning himself legions of fans and a spot as one of the industry’s most respected members. Read on to look back on the 47-year-old’s country music career.

1999

After earning a songwriting contract with EMI Music Publishing and writing several songs for other artists, Paisley signed with Arista Nashville and released his debut album, Who Needs Pictures, in 1999. He also made his Grand Ole Opry debut that year and earned his first No. 1 song with “He Didn’t Have to Be.” The album also gave Paisley his second No. 1, “We Danced.”

2003

On a personal note, Paisley and wife Kimberly Williams Paisley married in March 2003 at Stauffer Chapel on the campus of Pepperdine University after a nine-month engagement. In 2007, the couple welcomed their first child, son William Huckleberry, and son Jasper Warren was born in 2009.

2005

After four albums, Paisley scored his first headlining tour in 2005, embarking on the Time Well Wasted Tour, which was named after his 2005 album Time Well Wasted. The album won the Country Music Association CMA Award for Best Album and album of the year at the 2006 ACM Awards. Paisley has since headlined a tour every year save for 2018 and was planning to tour this year but is off the road due to the coronavirus pandemic.

2008

Paisley and Carrie Underwood began co-hosting the Country Music Association Awards together in 2008, keeping viewers laughing with their monologues, skits and songs that covered everything from country music to politics. The two co-hosted for 11 consecutive years before Underwood helmed the show with Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire in 2019, later announcing that she would be stepping down from the job after that year’s show.

2010

In 2010, Paisley was awarded the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award at the CMA Awards. He had been nominated every year since 2005 and was also nominated in 2011 and 2012, and when he accepted his win in 2010, he teared up and compared himself to a turtle on a fence post.

2014

Paisley continued to introduce a string of hits including “Southern Comfort Zone,” “Beat This Summer,” “River Bank” and “Crushin’ It” as well as multiple albums including Wheelhouse and Moonshine in the Trunk. In 2014, Rolling Stone named his song “Welcome to the Future” as #100 on its list of 100 greatest country songs.

2017

Paisley’s 11th and most recent studio album, Love and War, was released in 2017. He released one single in 2018, one in 2019 and in April, he released his most recent single, “No I in Beer.” Last month, Paisley told Kix Brooks on American Country Countdown that he’s enjoying watching a new generation of artists “reinvent” the business. “It’s really encouraging in that these are people that have a set of tools that we didn’t have — they’re all social media savvy,” he said. “And, some people would see that as a, you know, a hindrance towards the way it used to be, but I don’t care. They are affecting people and its really fun to watch, and I’m a fan of what they’re doing.”