Inside Jason Aldean’s Surprise 31 No. 1 Party With Performances From His Friends and Heroes

Jason Aldean’s record label and team pulled off an epic surprise for the country superstar during Country Radio Seminar (CRS) on Thursday when he was honored with a 31 No. 1 party.

The star-studded event was hosted by BMG Americas’ President, Frontline Recordings Jon Loba and BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville’s EVP, Recorded Music JoJamie Hahr, and brought together Aldean’s friends and heroes to celebrate the Georgia native’s career, which includes 13 Top 10 country albums and 31 No. 1 hits at country radio.

Blake Shelton kicked off the night with a performance of Aldean’s No. 1 hit “When She Says Baby” and later recited a self-written poem that had the entire room laughing. Later, Aldean’s all-time favorite band, Alabama, took the stage to perform one of his favorite songs, “The Closer You Get,” marking a full-circle moment as Aldean often performed the track during his early sets as a rising artist.

Travis Tritt, Aldean’s longtime friend and musical hero, also surprised the crowd with a performance of Aldean’s chart-topping hit “Night Train.” The celebration continued with a major moment when Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line reunited to perform Aldean’s No. 1 hit that they co-wrote with Morgan Wallen and Jordan Schmidt, “You Make It Easy.”

In total, 54 songwriters were celebrated for Aldean’s 31 No. 1 hits including Rhett Akins, Kurt Allison, Dylan Altman, Brent Anderson, Thomas Archer, Brett Beavers, Jaron Boyer, Will Bundy, Rodney Clawson, Jim Collins, Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano, Michael Dulaney, John Edwards, Jerry Flowers, Colt Ford, Andy Gibson, Brantley Gilbert, Ashley Gorley, Ben Hayslip, Tyler Hubbard, Brett James, Paul Jenkins, Brian Kelley, Tully Kennedy, Brandon Kinney, Kelley Lovelace, Tony Martin, Jim McCormick, Vicky McGehee, Jeff Middleton, Josh Mirenda, Wendell Mobley, Ashley Monroe, John Morgan, David Lee Murphy, Danny Myrick, Alex Palmer, Bobby Pinson, John Rich, Jimmy Robbins, Deric Ruttan, Jordan Schmidt, Jason Sellers, Bridgette Tatum, Josh Thompson, Neil Thrasher, Chris Tompkins, Michael Tyler, Lydia Vaughan, Morgan Wallen, Brad Warren, Brent Warren and Brian White.

Additionally, Lauren Alaina, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, HARDY, Chipper Jones, Miranda Lambert, Chase Matthew, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett, Willie Robertson, Darius Rucker, Bridgette Tatum, Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood and Trisha Yearwood shared video tributes for Aldean, who watched alongside his wife, Brittany, and other members of his family.

A visibly stunned Jason Aldean closed out the eventful evening with a performance of his 31st chart-topping single, “How Far Does A Goodbye Go.”

“This is crazy…this is wild. I feel like this is every songwriter that’s ever written on my records. I had no idea about tonight – I thought I was coming to play one song and hang out for a minute and go home,” he admitted from the stage. “Thank you so much for being here. All the writers here tonight are why I have a career so thank you so much. Between these guys and you all at country radio, Jon Loba, and everyone at BBR, thank you for tonight and for the last twenty years. I’m blown away.”

This surprise 31 No. 1 party leads into another big moment for Aldean: the release of his new album, Songs About Us, which is set to drop on April 24.