Chris Young

Chris Young. . Country singer and songwriter Chris Young is a Grammy- and Academy of Country Music-nominated vocalist. His style is rooted in traditional country music, although he performs with a contemporary sensibility., Christopher Alan Young, born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on June 12, 1985, is the grandson of Richard Yates, who performed on the “The Louisiana Hayride.” Young attended Oakland High School and showed an interest in music from his earliest years, performing in theatrical productions and absorbing classic country music from his family. By the time he was a senior in high school, Young was playing at the El Chico Mexican restaurant on Murfreesboro Pike in Nashville, and he self-released an album before graduation., Young attended both Nashville's Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro. He was spotted at a songwriters' night at the French Quarter Cafe on Nashville's Woodland Street, and was offered the opportunity to front the house band at Cowboys, a 3,200-seat club in Arlington, Texas. Young moved to Texas, opening for nationally known artists and building a strong local following., In 2006, Young was encouraged to audition for USA Network's “Nashville Star” competition. During the final round, which aired on May 2, he was announced as the winner and awarded a recording contract with RCA., Young's debut self-titled RCA album was issued in October 2006. The first single, “Drinkin' Me Lonely,” reached No. 42 on Billboard magazine's country singles chart. The second RCA album, The Man I Want to Be, yielded three singles , “Voices,” “Gettin' You Home” and the album's title song. All reached No. 1, and the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)., Young's third RCA album, Neon, released in 2011, yielded two more No. 1 singles, “Tomorrow” and “You.” “Tomorrow” also reached No. 36 on the pop charts. Young continues to record for RCA, having released seven aibums and 11 No. 1 singles, including the RIAA double-platinum single “I'm Comin' Over.”, On Aug. 29, 2017, Young was invited by Vince Gill to join the Grand Ole Opry, and was inducted as a member on Oct. 17 in the presence of his grandfather and other family members., Touring steadily, he appeared on concert bills with Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and others before headlining his own shows. In 2018, he made his first sold-out headlining appearance at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, and the following year his arena and amphitheater tour played to 400,000 fans in three countries and 35 U.S. states., Young has maintained a relationship with MTSU, creating an annual scholarship for recording industry students in November 2016. In July 2019, MTSU opened the Chris Young Cafe, a new learning space and live music venue on campus., Caption: Vince Gill invites Chris Young to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2017. Image courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry Archives.