Throwback Thursday: Remember When Chris Young Won ‘Nashville Star?’

Chris Young has been making his mark in the country music world for 10 years now. But before he was earning No. 1 singles and earning Gold-certified albums, he was a competitor on season four of the reality television show Nashville Star.

In 2006, not only did Young compete on the singing show, he made it all the way to the finals and walked away with the trophy which happened to be the keys to a brand new car and a recording contract.

He beat out Texas native Casey Rivers for the win. In the video above you can see how much disbelief the young star is upon the announcement of his name, although it looks like he almost died of anticipation waiting for Wynonna Judd and Cowboy Troy to open the envelope.

“Through this whole competition I’ve had my ups and downs through the whole thing,” Young said to the crowd. “The biggest thing to me has been the support from my fans…You keep me grounded and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people.”

Through out the season he sampled many country hits, including “Forever and Ever Amen,” “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” and “Dust on the Bottle.” The traditional country inspiration that earned him the title 10 years ago has followed him his entire career and launched him into the superstar he is today.

Following his big win, he released his self-titled album that October (2006). No singles from that project reached the top of the charts and it took him until 2009’s “Gettin’ You Home” to earn his first No. 1. He has added six more country chart toppers since then.

Most Recently, Young released his fifth studio album, I’m Comin’ Over, and his current single is “Sober Saturday Night.” He is currently on the second leg of his tour, which shares a name with the record, and will run through early December. Tomorrow, he’ll release his very first Christmas album, It Must Be Christmas.