It has been said numerous times that what Macon needs to regain its music city status is for a local to make it big again. Well, Jason Aldean is doing just that – by way of Nashville. Mention his name around town and you’re bound to here, “that’s my boy.” The Macon native’s self-titled debut on the indie country label Broken Bow Records sold 28,726 copies its first week and entered the Billboard country chart at number six. His hit single “Hicktown” is receiving widespread radio airplay and heavy video rotation on CMT. For those wondering the inspiration behind the song, it was penned by Vicky McGehee, John Rick and Big Kenny and the video was shot in Florida, so it is not exactly an homage to his hometown – but it very well could be. Aldean got his start in the house band at the now-defunct Nashville South. He’s coming home September 30 to rule the stage of the still-new Nashville Station. They are billing his homecoming as a hurricane benefit. And what better way to raise funds than through our newest local hero. If you didn’t already know, find out now . . . and welcome home Jason!

 1. Where did you graduate high school?

JA: I graduated from Windsor Academy in 1995.

2. I read that if you weren’t going to be a professional musician, you wanted to be a baseball player. So, did you play baseball in high school?

JA: Yeah, I did. It was kinda what I always wanted to do, I thought, until I was 18-years-old, or so, and had a chance to go to college and just couldn’t hardly see going back to school for four years. And I was already in music by that time and thought that it was what I wanted to pursue.

 3. What’s your fondest memory about growing up in Macon?

JA: I guess just having my family there. Most of my family was always from Macon, so I guess the biggest thing was just having them there, all my friends, and I was born and raised there. Up until seven years ago [Macon] was all I knew, and I didn’t realize how much I was going to miss until after I was gone.

 4. What’d you do for fun growing up here?

JA: Just stuff like most teenagers do, like went to football games and stuff. See, I was playing nightclubs in Macon when I was 14, you know, so I was playing places like the old Nashville South and places like that. I used to go to my cousin’s house a lot. He’s got a big farm in the Crawford County area, so we’d just go out there and hang out at his house, ride four-wheelers and fish, ride horses and whatever, just that kinda stuff.

 5. Is Macon a “Hicktown”?

JA: No, but there are some places around there that are, that’s for sure! I think Macon’s got a few qualifications, but I don’t think I’d necessarily call it a hick town.

 6. What’s your wife’s name and did she grow up here as well? How did she handle your aspirations of becoming a professional recording artist?

JA: Jessica . . . she graduated from Houston County [High School]. We started dating when I was still in high school, so she kinda has been through all this stuff for a long time. It’s not easy because I’m away from home all the time, you know, but she’s very supportive and she understands what’s going on, which is good because it makes it easier on me that she’s that understanding about it. So, I’d say she handles it pretty well.

 7. Did you have any naysayers in Macon that you can now say, “I told you so”?

JA: I don’t know. There were probably some people that back then, probably thought that when I was singing in clubs and stuff, it was kinda like ‘whatever.’ Like, what are you doing? But, for the most part, everybody, all my friends and the people I knew were supportive. I really don’t have anybody in particular that I would just like to say, ‘I told you so’ to, but like I said, I am sure that there were some back then that thought I was kidding myself. But they know who they are, I guess (laughs).

 8: Once you moved to Nashville, what was your first big break?

JA: Well, actually my first big break came before I came to Nashville – that’s how I got there. I was playing at a club in Atlanta, in the Marietta area, and the guy that produced my record, Michael Knox, actually saw me playing in the club and signed me to a publishing deal to write songs in Nashville. And so that was pretty much my break. It was how I got to Nashville and kind of got the ball rolling and everything went from there. It was over six years until my single came out, so it wasn’t an overnight thing, but that was eventually what got the ball rolling and gave the opportunity to even move to Nashville.

 9. What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

JA: I would say probably playing the Grand Ole Opry. I’ve gotten to do that three times now and as a country music singer, I mean it’s one of those things, it’s kinda one of those things that you hope to get do, and now that I’ve done it and been asked to come two more times, it’s just cool. There’s something about playing on that stage that is just magic, so that’s definitely one of the highlights.

 10. Now that you are on your way, what are you looking forward to the most?

JA: Hopefully just being around for a while. That’s the thing, you know, the first single just came out and it’s great and everything seems to be going the way I hoped it would, but it’s like anything, you got to keep putting out good music. The second single is coming out, probably in the next few months . . . it’s going to be a song called “Why.” Hopefully, people will like it and keep the momentum going. If it was up to me, I’d be one of those people like George Straight or Alabama and be around for 25 years and still selling records and making music. Having a long career like that is my goal.

 11. What’s going to be the first thing you do when you come home to Macon for your Nashville Station gig?

JA: I don’t know. Actually, I am going to have a lot of things to do that day. I don’t know if I’ll have any time for myself. I’m doing a signing at one of the Wal-Marts there and then I think Country Weekly magazine is coming down to cover some stuff, so I’ve got to do some stuff when them that day. Really, I’d like to go visit my friends and family. I’ve got a cousin that lives down there that is like five months older than I am – he’s probably the closest thing I have to a brother so I like to go see him when I’m in town. My dad lives in Monticello, so I’d like to see him. I don’t know how much time I’m going to have for that stuff, but that’s usually what I like to do when I come home and try to see everybody that I haven’t seen in a while.