Biography
Jason Isbell, American singer, song writer, and occasional actor was born Michael Jason Isbell on February 1, 1979 in Green Hill, Alabama. His parents were still teenagers when he was born so he spent a lot of his childhood with his grandparents while his parents worked. Isbell credits the environment he grew up in for giving him his distinctive Americana sound and lyrics. His family would often get together and play the gospel, soul, and bluegrass music of Northern Alabama. His grandfather taught him to play several instruments and, by the time he was 16 years old, Isbell was performing at the Grand Ole Opry with his garage band. In 2001 Isbell moved to Georgia and joined the band Drive-By Truckers. He stayed with the band as they put out three albums "Decoration Day" (2003), "The Dirty South" (2004) and "A Blessing and a Curse" (2006). He split with the group amicably in 2007 to pursue a solo career and released his first solo album "Sirens of the Ditch" (2007). By this time he had experienced a divorce and was struggling with a dependence on alcohol and drugs in his late 20s. He entered a rehabilitation center in Tennessee in 2012 to get sober. He returned to the music scene and released "Southeastern" (2013) to rave reviews from critics and other musicians. The album, which debuted at #28 on the US Billboard 200, was a deeply personal album exploring human suffering and reflecting his recent struggles with addiction. At the 2014 Americana Music Awards he won Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Cover Me Up." Building on his success, Isbell released "Something More Than Free" in 2015. With this album Isbell was able to reach a wider audience beyond the Americana genre earning two Grammy awards and widespread critical acclaim. While he was succeeding in his solo career he was also putting out albums with his band, The 400 Unit: a reference to a psychiatric unit in Florence, Alabama. Their 2017 album "The Nashville Sound" won two Grammy awards. Additionally he began dabbling in acting, voicing a character in the animated show "Squidbillies" (Adult Swim, 2005-21). Isbell was named the 2017 Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Artist-in-Residence, the youngest to receive the honor at the time. In honor of Joe Biden winning the state of Georgia in the 2020 presidential election, Isbell and The 400 Unit released the charity album "Georgia Blue" (2021). In 2023, Isbell appeared in the Scorcese film "Killers of the Flower Moon" as the murdered husband of an Osage woman. Jason Isbell's album "Weathervanes" was released in 2023 with the 400 Unit.
