Jason Aldean’s Country Music Hall of Fame Exhibit Showcases the Rise of a Superstar

Jason Aldean has had a long journey to Entertainer of the Year status and this progression is all documented in a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The display, Jason Aldean: Asphalt Cowboy, opens on May 26 and runs through Nov. 5, and showcases the singer’s rise to fame with mementos from his childhood. Items at the museum include everything from a rocking horse with his name engraved on it, high school yearbook photos and baseball gear to his first guitar, early pay stubs and future awards.

The “They Don’t Know” singer was on hand for a special viewing on Thursday evening (May 25) with his family, friends and members of the music industry. He was honored at the venue’s Rotunda where museum CEO Kyle Young detailed Aldean’s exhibit and discussed his early struggles as a musician.

Aldean moved to Nashville in November of 1998 and by Christmas he had his first record deal. That deal would fall through as did the next three, eventually leading him to question how much longer he should stay in Music City. During what was scheduled to be one of his final gigs at Wildhorse Saloon before he packed up and moved back home to live with his mom in Georgia, a manager from an independent label called Broken Bow Records saw him and liked what he heard. Once again Aldean had a label calling, but things were very different this time.

“His strong voice was a draw,” Young explained to a packed room. “His strong work ethic sealed the deal. From there, things got real good. The 12-foot trailer became 12 semi-trucks. Honky tonks became amphitheaters, which became football and baseball stadiums. A man who almost slipped through the cracks joined Miranda Lambert, Eric Church and Luke Bryan in shaping the sound of country music for a new generation. We are so pleased to reveal Jason Aldean’s story to the people who walk through this museum. It’s an important story to tell and we’ll be better for the telling.”

A walk through Aldean’s exhibit shows several major accolades on display including his 2011 Breakthrough Artist trophy from the Billboard Conference and Touring Awards, a 2011 CMT Artist of the Year Award and envelopes from his win at the CMA Awards for Album of the Year for My Kinda Party. It’s these career highlights long after the struggles that Aldean says makes the success that much sweeter.

“It’s really an honor for me to be here. I think to be enshrined in this building in any capacity, for any artist, is pretty amazing,” Aldean says at a podium, addressing those in attendance including his wife, daughters, parents and early supporters. “It’s been an amazing ride for me. The one thing I’ll say: for things early in my career to be a struggle, and to not come easy, it made me appreciate things a lot more when it finally did happen, and the reason it happened is because I tried to surround myself with a great group of people.”

It’s this message that the singer reiterates throughout his speech. Aldean went on to thank record producers, his label team and his band, who he says have been with him forever. When he lost his record deal time and time again, they stuck by him. While they had to get gigs playing shows around town to eat, once he garnered his final deal he called them up and they got back together. He credits his longtime band as a major part in establishing his sound and his continued success.

“I just tried to surround myself with people who were a good support system, and I think that makes all the difference in the world,” he concedes. “You don’t get to do all the things I’ve done over the years by being a one-man show. There’s a ton of people that have helped me get here along the way, so for all of you guys, thank you very much.”

Jason Aldean: Asphalt Cowboy, Presented by Field & Stream, runs through Nov. 5.