Jason Aldean

Maybe Jason Aldean didn’t know he had a huge hit on his hands when he recorded “She’s Country,” but the 32-year-old Georgia native knew it had serious crossover potential the first time he heard it.

“It didn’t sound like anything else that was out,” Aldean says. “It was like a country lyric with an AC/DC guitar riff and it had kind of a rap feel to it.”

“She’s Country” hit a chord with the country crowds first, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Then, it grew on the pop crowd. And the rock crowd.

Aldean had already scored a few decent hits with “Why,” “Hicktown” and “Amarillo Sky,” but “She’s Country” launched him from moderate CMT fame to country superstardom.

“I went from playing for 2,000 people to 2,500 to 4,000 to 5,000 and 6,000. In Lexington, there were 10,000! Every aspect of my career has completely changed,” Aldean admits.

Aldean will perform for thousands at 8 p.m. Oct. 9 at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.

Of course, Aldean is used to the big crowds these days — whether he’s entertaining his fans or supporting the likes of Keith Urban, Toby Keith and Tim McGraw. Aldean says two of the most memorable moments of his career have been playing a song by The Eagles (one of his favorite bands) with Urban and the experience he gained touring with McGraw.

“Tim McGraw has been around for a long time, and you’d be crazy not to learn from him,” Aldean laughs. “It’s like school’s in session every night with him.”

Like McGraw and Urban, Jason Aldean is out to prove he has staying power. No song has aided that cause more than his most recent hit, “Big Green Tractor.”

The song was co-written by David Lee Murphy and Jim Collins, who have written tunes for Kenny Chesney, too. After Collins wrote “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” the duo decided to tackle another ode to the tractor, and Aldean fell in love with the sweet, mid-tempo ballad.

“I thought it was kind of a cool, little groovy tune that was quirky and weird,” Aldean recalls. “It just picked up right where 'She’s Country’ left off.”

As far as the Billboard charts are concerned, “Big Green Tractor” has been even more successful than “She’s Country.” The ballad was the No. 1 Hot Country Song for four weeks and reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

But the charts don’t concern Aldean nearly as much as making relatable music. There are two songs from his album, “Wide Open,” that Aldean considers especially autobiographical. One is “Keep the Girl,” which Aldean wrote about the strain he and his wife endured when Aldean moved from Georgia to Nashville. The other is “On My Highway.” Lyrics such as “But what a feeling chasing the sun/Living my life like it’s shot from a gun/Laughing a little bit more with every mile” suggest the song is based on Aldean’s hectic journeys on the road, but he says there’s much more to it.

“It’s a song about life’s mistakes, but how in the end, life’s pretty good,” he explains.

If anyone’s living the good life, it’s Aldean. On Oct. 13, he’ll be playing a Nashville benefit show with Urban, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town. From there, he’ll tour through November and head back to the studio to record his fourth album in December.

But Aldean’s visit to St. Joe comes first. He says the crowd should expect the unexpected and that his show is worth the ticket price (which is $29.75 to $34.75).

“It wasn’t that long ago that I was paying my own money to see shows,” Aldean says. “So I think, 'What would I want to see? What would get my attention?’ I want people to feel like it was money well-spent.”

For more information or to purchase tickets for the concert, call the Civic Arena at 271-4717.