Brad Paisley is one of those artists who always puts on a terrific concert — and as he prepares to kick off the 2009 leg of his Paisley Party tour on January 15th, Brad looks back on past tours with a real sense of pride in the artists he’s chosen to open for him…and he loves seeing them do well. Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, Chuck Wicks, and Rodney Atkins are a few of the artists who’ve opened for him in recent years, and Brad says, “We’ve gotten really lucky with picking some really wonderful people,” adding that whatever role he may have played in helping their careers is “one of the things I’m proudest of.” (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• The Paisley Party tour kicks into high gear this year with Dierks Bentley joining Brad, along with Darius Rucker (on January dates) and newcomer Crystal Shawanda on the road in February. For complete tour dates, check out www.bradpaisley.com.
• Brad is currently closing in on the top of the charts with his smash Keith Urban duet, “Start a Band,” from Brad’s latest album, Play.

  Brad Paisley says there’s a real sense of pride in having his opening acts go on to do great things in their careers. (:12)
“We’ve gotten really lucky with picking some really wonderful people to be out there on the road. And one of the things I’m proudest of is having had some hand in the beginning of some of these careers that are now on fire.”