Brad Paisley Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Country Singer Brad Paisley Born: October 28, 1972

Country music superstar Brad Paisley was born in Marshall County on October 28, 1972. At age eight, the Glen Dale native began studying guitar with local musician “Hank” Goddard. Only two years later, he stepped in as the front man for the C-Notes, a local band of older musicians. At age 14, he became the youngest-ever regular cast member of Jamboree USA. He remained with the Wheeling radio show for eight years.

In the 1990s, he took his talents to Nashville and cut his debut album in 1999. The song “He Didn’t Have to Be” became Paisley’s first number one hit. The next year, the Academy of Country Music named him the Top New Male Vocalist. And, in 2001, he joined the Grand Ole Opry.

By 2010, Paisley had won more than 60 awards, including three Grammys. As one of the biggest stars in country music, he hasn’t shied away from controversial subjects. His 2013 album Wheelhouse addresses topics ranging from racism to spousal abuse. In recognition of his popularity, Paisley has been asked to perform at President Barack Obama’s inauguration and at the White House on two occasions.

Brad Paisley to Perform at WVU as Part of College Tour

Brad Paisley will perform a free concert at West Virginia University next month.

WVU says in a news release that the country music star will perform Sept. 9 in a parking lot outside the WVU Law School. West Virginia’s football team plays Youngstown State on Sept. 10 in Morgantown.

The performance is part of Paisley’s Country Nation College Tour that also includes scheduled stops in Orlando, Florida, on Sept. 4 and Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 15.

Paisley is a native of Glen Dale. Earlier this month he made an initial donation of $250,000 for a home-building project for West Virginia residents whose residences were destroyed in late June flooding.

In addition, his crowdfunding website campaign for flood relief has nearly $700,000 in donations toward a goal of $1 million.

Brad Paisley Donates to Flood Rebuilding Project

Country music star Brad Paisley is helping a home rebuilding project in flood-ravaged West Virginia get off to a solid start.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Saturday for 42 homes and a community park to be built on land donated by the city of White Sulphur Springs. They will be for residents whose homes were destroyed in the June 23 floods.

Homes for West Virginia is a newly created partnership with local stakeholders and New Orleans-based SBP, a disaster recovery nonprofit group founded after Hurricane Katrina.

Homes for West Virginia announced Saturday that Paisley has made an initial donation of $250,000 for the project. Pharmaceutical company Mylan has donated $1 million and Morgantown health care company MedExpress has donated $500,000. The project’s total fundraising goal is $20 million.

Mountain Stage Acts Nominated for 2016 International Bluegrass Music Awards

The 2016 International Bluegrass Music Awards nominations are in! We’re proud to see so many of Mountain Stage’s guests on the list. Click on the artist’s name to hear their recent performance on Mountain Stage.

Congratulations to Flatt Lonesome, who racked up five nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year. We can’t wait to see this up-and-coming band make their Mountain Stage debut on August 13 during the Augusta Heritage Festival. Ticket and artist information is available at mountainstage.org.

Another shout-out to Mountain Stage alumni who have racked up 2016 IBMA Award nominations, including The Del McCoury Band, The Earls of Leicester, The Gibson Brothers, Dale Ann Bradley, Claire Lynch, Amanda Smith, Rhonda Vincent, Shawn Camp, Del McCoury, Tim O’Brien, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Frank Solivan, Punch Brothers, Sam Bush Band, The Travelin’ McCourys, Sierra Hull, The SteelDrivers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Lonesome River Band, Laurie Lewis, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley, Alison Brown, Steve Gully, Della Mae, Brad Paisley, Charlie Cushman, Jens Kruger, Noam Pikelny, Barry Bales, Alan Bertram, Mike Bub, Missy Raines, Mark Schatz, Andy Hall, Phil Leadbetter, Josh Swift, Jason Carter, Michael Cleveland, Stuart Duncan, Bryan Sutton, Kenny Smith, Chris Aldridge, Josh Williams, Jim Hurst, and Adam Steffey.

We know: that’s a lot of talented folks on Mountain Stage. If you missed seeing them live, make sure to catch them on the Mountain Stage podcast (and leave rating and review, while you’re at it). And sign-up for our email newsletter for future show announcements! You might just hear/see them again in the near future.

Good luck to all the nominees! And if you haven’t already, go out and hear some live music wherever you are just as soon as you can.

Brad Paisley Tours Flood Ravaged W.Va. High School

Country music star and West Virginia native Brad Paisley toured flood damaged areas of Kanawha County Thursday after committed to help the region recover from catastrophic flooding.

The floods, which left 10 counties named federal disaster areas, killed 23 people and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes.

Paisley made stops in the Clendenin area, joined by senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, which included a tour of the mud soaked band room of Herbert Hoover High School.

Guitars, sheet music and other items litter the floor of the band classroom at Herbert Hoover High School. Seven feet of water filled the room during Friday, June 24, floods.

Covered in about an inch of mud, sheet music and instruments laid strewn across the classroom floor. The first floor of the building took on about 7 feet of flood water.

The clean-up process has begun in the school, but mud and water still stand in the band room, two gyms, cafeteria, and wood shop.

“Any photo doesn’t do justice to sort of this thing that goes on in your mind that you’re thinking, I shouldn’t be breathing this,” Paisley said after viewing the damage. “That feeling in a school is a terrible feeling.”

Kanawha County schools are scheduled to begin classes in early August.

Herbert Hoover principal Michael Kelley says both the county and his school are committed to starting classes on time. His students and his community need a return to normalcy, he added.