Biography of Country Rocker Chris Young

2006 Winner of "Nashville Star"

Chris Young performing at Happy Valley Jam 2017 in State College, Pennsylvania.

Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Chris Young is a country musician who is best known for his muscular baritone vocals, and for winning the televised "Nashville Star" singing competition in 2006. His musical style mixes new traditionalism with polished Music City production.

The Younger Years

Christopher Alan Young was born on June 12, 1985, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He was interested in music from a young age. During his teenage years, he sang in the choir but didn't get serious about music as a career until later.

"When I got into high school and all the other choir students wanted to be professional singers, I was thinking about being an attorney (by that time I’d already been on TV twice singing)," Young said in an interview.

"When I turned 16, I realized that I was really, really happy when I was on stage and that I loved singing—I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. When I thought about my future, and I thought about how I was going to be singing/performing, and whether or not I would like my 'day' job. Then I realized, that I could do this for a living."

The ambitious young singer played at local clubs through high school and toured steadily while attending college.

Becoming a "Nashville Star"

Chris Young was selected for the fourth season of singing competition "Nashville Star" and won the program in 2006. As a result, he was awarded a recording contract with RCA Records, and the same year released his self-titled debut album; Young co-wrote four of the songs on the album. Despite receiving so-so reviews, this album made an impressive debut on the charts opening at number three. The singer was just 21 years old at the time.

No Sophomore Jinx

Chris Young's second studio album, The Man I Want to Be, was released in 2009. The singer scored his first number one country song with the track "Gettin' You Home." He repeated that feat with the album's second single "The Man I Want to Be." On other songs, Young showed his affection for the old-school country—particularly his duet with Willie Nelson on "Rose in Paradise," which was originally recorded by Waylon Jennings. The album also featured a stellar cover of Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia." The Man I Want to Be marked another first for Young—his first album to be certified gold.

"Tomorrow" and Neon

In 2011, Chris Young released his third album, Neon. The love song "Tomorrow" was the lead-off single and became the biggest hit of his career at the time. By year's end, it would rank fourth among the most popular country singles of 2011. He has gone on to release a few more albums, including a Christmas album in 2016.

Popular Chris Young Songs

  • "Drinkin' Me Lonely"
  • "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)"
  • "Tomorrow"
  • "Voices"
  • "You"
  • "I'm Comin' Over"

Chris Young Discography

  • Chris Young (2006)
  • The Man I Want to Be (2009)
  • Neon (2011)
  • A.M. (2013)
  • I'm Comin' Over (2015)
  • It Must Be Christmas (2016)