“I tended to lean towards the guys who both sang and played, such as Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Steve Wariner... And at the other end of the spectrum, I had Eric Clapton in a rock and blues sense, jazz guys such as Tal Farlow and Les Paul... Then Chet Atkins-type stuff.”

American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist

Brad Paisley is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found success in 1997, when he wrote David Kersh's "Another You". He later signed with Arista Nashville in 1998 and released his debut album, Who Needs Pictures, in 1999. That album began a run of 12 studio albums for Arista Nashville before the label closed in 2023 and he moved to EMI Nashville. His best-selling albums are Mud on the Tires and Time Well Wasted, both of which were certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.