Brad was born and raised in Glen Dale, West Verginia, a Mayberry-esque (pop. 1800) town. When he was only eight years old, his grandfather, a nightshift railroad worker who spent his afternoons playing guitar, gave him a gift: a Sears Danelectro Silvertone guitar with an amp in the case. Young Paisley mastered it quickly and soon he and his guitar were inseparable. At age 12, he wrote his first song, "Born on Christmas Day," which he performed in church.