Brad Paisley

When you think of country music's greatest guitar players, one of the first ones that comes to mind has to be Brad Paisley.

Hailing from West Virginia, Paisley first picked up a guitar at the age of eight. Donning a Sears Danelectro Silvertone for his first guitar, his first public performance came shortly after as he sang in front of his church congregation. By 13, the future award-winning singer-songwriter wrote his first song, 'Born on Christmas Day,' which later appeared on his holiday album, Brad Paisley Christmas.

Playing locally and in bands here and there, Paisley studied for two years at West Liberty State College in West Virginia before packing up and heading to Nashville's famed Belmont University. Awarded a full ASCAP scholarship to attend the university's Mike Curb School of Music Business, he graduated in 1995 and a week later was signed to a publishing contract with EMI Music Publishing.

Paisley's first taste of country music success came in 1997 after penning David Kersh's Top 5 hit single, 'Another You.' The following year, he signed with Arista Nashville where he enjoyed a stellar 25-year career, which included 12 records, ranging from his debut album, Who Needs Pictures, all the way through 2017's Love and War.

Throughout his glowing career, the beloved entertainer has charted over 50 single on the Billboard charts, 19 of which have found their way to the top spot, including 'He Didn't Have To Be,' 'We Danced,' 'I'm Gonna Miss Her,' 'Mud on the Tires,' 'When I Get Where I'm Going,' 'She's Everything,' 'Online,' 'Waitin' on a Woman' and so many more.