Today we feature an artist who is known around Nashville as one of, if not THE best instrumentalists in country music today. A singer and a songwriter who seems to flow effortlessly from classic country sounds to comic, to whimsical songs, and then to a deep, meaningful song of love and loss.

2012 CMT Music Awards - Wonderwall.com.com Portrait Studio
Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for CMT
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Brad Paisley is a proud native of Glen Dale, West Virginia, who started playing guitar at age 8, when his grandfather gave him a Sears Danelectro Silvertone and taught him how to play. He soon began playing at events around the small town, and by 13 he had started writing songs. While in Junior High, he got the opportunity to play on a radio program called "Jamboree USA", which was hosted by a local radio station. After Paisley and his band Brad Paisley and the C-Notes played, the station's program director asked Paisley if he would like to become a member of the show's regular cast, making him the youngest performer to be inducted in Jamboree USA.

While playing on the show, Paisley got the opportunity to open for acts like George Jones, The Judds and Ricky Skaggs. It also led him to opportunities like performing at the legendary Jamboree In The Hills. After high school graduation in 1991, Paisley went on to West Liberty State College in West Liberty, WV. After two years at WLSC, Paisley received a full-scholarship from ASCAP to attend Belmont University in Nashville,

2015 iHeartRadio Country Festival - Show
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
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where he majored in, and received a Bachelors of Business Administration Degree. He would intern at ASCAP and Atlantic Records, and less than a week after graduation, EMI Music Publishing would offer Paisley a publishing contract, where he would immediately write top-10 hits for David Kersh and David Ball.

On February 22, 1999, Paisley signed with Arista Records, releasing his debut single "Who Needs Pictures", which served as the title track for his debut album, which was released later the same year. The album featured 4 top-20 hits, including a pair of #1's. "He Didn't Have To Be" and "We Danced". During his career, Paisley has released 11 studio albums, 2 compilation albums and a Christmas album, all with Arista Nashville. The 14 releases have spawned 40 singles, 39 of which have reached the top-20, including 19 #1 hits. All 11 of Paisley's studio albums, as well as both of his Greatest Hits compilations, have been certified gold or better, certifying 500,000 copies sold.

The 2015 iHeartRadio Country Festival will be televised as an exclusive nationwide two-hour broadcast special on NBC, May 27
photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment for iHeart Radio
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Recently, Paisley was part of the CMA 50th anniversary project Artists of Then, Now and Forever, taking part along with 29 other former CMA winning arists on the single "Forever Country". The song became only the second country single in history of the Billboard Country Singles chart to debut at #1. Paisley is currently in the studio working his 12th studio album. The second single from that as of yet unnamed project is in our spotlight today. Brad Paisley and "Today" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

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