Brad Paisley facts: Country singer's age, wife, children, family and career explained

11 July 2023, 13:09 | Updated: 27 July 2023, 14:57

Brad Paisley is one of the most successful country stars of the past 20 years.

The American star began his career with his 1999 debut album Who Needs Pictures, and has released 12 studio albums and a Christmas compilation since.

Brad Paisley has achieved 35 top 10 singles on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart, 20 of which have reached number one.

He has sold over 11 million albums and has won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards, and two American Music Awards, and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Brad also wrote songs for Pixar's Cars franchise (including 'Behind the Clouds' and 'Collision of Worlds' with Robbie Williams).

1. How old is Brad Paisley and where is he from?

   Brad Paisley was born on October 28, 1972. He celebrated his 50th birthday in 2022.

   He was born and raised in Glen Dale, West Virginia. He is the only child of parents Douglas Edward 'Doug' Paisley, an employee for the West Virginia Department of Transportation, and Sandra Jean 'Sandy' (née Jarvis) Paisley, a teacher.

2. How did he get his start in music?

   

   Brad has said that his love of country music came from his maternal grandfather, Warren Jarvis, who gave him his first guitar, and taught him how to play at eight years old.

   In third grade, he performed for the first time in public at his church.

   When the adults heard him sing, they said: "forget the choir, let's just have Brad do the whole thing."

   "Pretty soon, I was performing at every Christmas party and Mother's Day event. The neat thing about a small town is that when you want to be an artist, by golly, they'll make you one," he later said.

   Aged 13, he wrote his first song, 'Born on Christmas Day', which later appeared on his album Brad Paisley Christmas.

   In junior high, his principal heard him perform the song, and invited him to play at the local Rotary Club meeting. Tom Miller, the program director of a radio station in West Virginia, was in attendance.

   Miller asked him if he would want to appear on Jamboree USA. After his first performance, he became a member of the show's weekly lineup. For the next eight years, he opened for country icons such as The Judds, Ricky Skaggs and George Jones.

   

   After graduating from Belmont, Brad signed a songwriting contract with EMI Music Publishing, and he wrote David Kersh's Top 5 hit, 'Another You'.

   His debut as a singer was 'Who Needs Pictures', released in February 1999). That May, he made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Seven months later, he had his first number one hit with 'He Didn't Have to Be'.

3. What are Brad Paisley's biggest songs?

   

   Brad Paisley - She's Everything (Official Video)

   Among his many hits, Brad Paisley's songs include:

   • He Didn't Have to Be
   • We Danced
   • Mud on the Tires
   • Alcohol
   • When I Get Where I'm Going (with Dolly Parton)
   • She's Everything
   • Letter to Me
   • I'm Still a Guy
   • Start a Band (with Keith Urban)
   • Anything Like Me
   • Remind Me (with Carrie Underwood)
   • Perfect Storm
   • Freedom Was a Highway
   • Then
   • So Many Summers

4. Is Brad Paisley married and does he have kids?

   

   Brad Paisley began dating actress Kimberly Williams in 2001.

   He had first seen her 10 years earlier in her film debut while on a date to see Father of the Bride.

   Four years later, after his date left him for his best friend, he went to see the sequel alone. Brad later said that he watched Kimberly's performance and thought "She seems like a great girl — smart and funny and all those things that are so hard to find."

   His album, Part II, featured several songs he'd written about the old girlfriend, including one about going to see Father of the Bride. For the music video for 'I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)', Brad said, "It felt natural to ask [Williams] to be in it."

   View this post on Instagram

   A post shared by Kimberly Williams-Paisley (@kimberlywilliamspaisley)

   Brad and Kimberly began dating soon after, and were married in March 2003, at Pepperdine University after a nine-month engagement.

   Their first son, William Hucklebuck 'Huck' was born in 2007, in Nashville. Their second son, Jasper Warren (named after his grandfather), was born in 2009.