‘Catch of the Day’ – Aaron Lewis – “That Ain’t Country” [AUDIO]

Today our focus turns to an artist who was born in the country music hotbed of Longmeadow, Massachusetts and who was raised in Springfield, MA. He is an artist whose past can be best describe as Staind, but who has "seen the light" and is moving forward, establishing a solid career in country music.

Aaron Lewis released seven album as lead singer of the rock group Staind, being ranked at #49 on Hit Parader magazine's 2006 list of the top 100 heavy metal vocalists. Of the group's 7 albums, 4 (Dysfunction ( 2x 1999), Break The Cycle (5x 2001), 14 Shades of Grey (2003) and Chapter V (2005)) were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Assoc of America, producing 4 number 1 hits on the Billboard U.S. Main Rock chart; 3 also hit #1 on the Alternative Rock Chart.

In 2012 the band took a hiatus so Lewis could work on a solo project, which turned out to be his debut solo album The Road. And in a turn that left a lot of industry "experts" speechless, Lewis changed proverbial horses in the middle of the proverbial stream and the album was a very strong country album. The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, featuring the singles "Country Boy", which featured George Jones and Charlie Daniels. The single, though critically acclaimed, garnered little attention from country radio, with many theories that Lewis' history caused many to shun his attempted country turn. In 2014, Lewis returned to Staind for several festival shows, but later that year the band announced a second hiatus, stating that this one would "last for a while".

Controversy has followed Lewis throughout his career. In 2003, Staind sued musician Joe "The Stain" Stainbrook over his 1980 trademark. The band was unsuccessful in the Federal Court case, and in turn Stainbrook counter sued over false statements the band made in their application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The case was settled out of court, allowing the band to continue using it's name. In 2012, Lewis called out singer Carrie Underwood for the lyrics of her song "Last Name" stating the song was untrue to Underwood's personal beliefs and that it painted a potentially bad message to her younger female fans. In 2014 Lewis verbally called to attention some male fans from the stage at Rockfest who were accosting a female concert goer.

Lewis appeared on his own to sing the National Anthem prior to game 5 of the 2014 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals. He had a minor flub of one line of the song, later issuing a public apology for the mistake. He continued to tour solo throughout 2015, returning to the studio to record a follow-up solo album late in the year. That album, Sinner, is scheduled to be released September 16th, and we have the lead single in our spotlight today. Aaron Lewis and "That Ain't Country" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.