Jason Aldean is a name you have probably heard on country radio, primarily with his Top 10 debut single, "Hicktown," and his current single, "Why," both from his self-titled debut album which was released in August of 2005, debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart.
We were able to snag a bit of Jason's time, as he's on the road, to answer a few questions. See what he had to say about his music, being on the road, and more.
AboutCountry: Who were your influences musically, when you were growing up. I read that you believe that Country Music is in your blood. What makes you say that?
Jason Aldean: "My musical influences include Alabama, John Anderson, John Mellencamp and Dwight Yoakam just to name a few, but my dad was by far my biggest influence. He had this big record collection, and he also played guitar and sang, as did my uncles. In fact, I listened only to country music until my teens, though now I've become a fan of music in general, and I have an appreciation for all the various styles of music, but country has always been in me."
AboutCountry: Did you always want to be a country artist?
Jason Aldean: "Up until I was 17, I was certain I would become a baseball player. Then I graduated from high school, and the choice was go to college to play baseball on a full scholarship, or go into music - I began playing in junior high and there is nothing in the world like that hour onstage. It came down tot he fact I was tired of school, so the choice wasn't all that hard to make - though if I'd been drafted out of high school, I would've given it a try."
AboutCountry: What kinds of things do you do on the road to relax?
Jason Aldean: "To relax on the road, I usually play video games or watch sports."
AboutCountry: What's in your CD player right now?
Jason Aldean: "In my CD player right now, are actually new songs that I'm listening to for my new album."
AboutCountry: Do you play any instruments other than the guitar?
Jason Aldean: "I do not play any instruments other than the guitar, but I would love to learn to play the drums!"
AboutCountry: I see you have a co-write with John Rich, and he's also co-written several of the tracks on your CD. How did you two meet?
Jason Aldean: "John Rich and I had publishing deals with the same company and we wrote several songs together. I was a big fan of John and Big Kenny before they ever broke. In the last year, everyone has been recording their stuff, you know. One thing I can say is that before they came out big, I was already cutting their songs, to pitch to labels and get a deal. It was good timing."
AboutCountry: Do you have a favorite song from your album, and if so, why is it your favorite?
Jason Aldean: "My favorite song that I've recorded is a song called "Good To Go", which was the last song we found for the record. I guess the reason it's my favorite is because I feel like this song describes my life, and some of the things that I have had to go through in the last few years. That is always a difficult question because all of the songs are my favorite for various reasons. One really cool thing about recording this album was that I got to work with one of my best friends, Justin Weaver, who played with me in bands as we grew up. We were the two guys who wrote in the band and one of the songs we wrote together is on my debut album and was both of our first recorded cuts. It was really cool when all of this actually worked for us all. We wrote the song titled "Even If I Wanted To" on this debut album."
