Jason Isbell

Multi-Grammy Award-winning alternative country artist Michael Jason Isbell was born on February 1, 1979, in Green Hill, Alabama, an early arrival in the lives of his parents, who were only 19 and 17 years old (a fact that inspired his song "Children of Children"). It was through his grandfather and uncle, who lived next door to his school and looked after him while his parents worked, that the young Jason Isbell became familiar with music. Thanks to them, he began to learn several instruments and developed a passion for gospel and bluegrass. In his teens, he befriended session bassist David Hood, father of Patterson Hood, co-founder of the Drive-By Truckers, whom the young Isbell regularly followed to their concerts. After spending time with them, he finally convinced them to take him on, and joined the band in 2001. He took part in three of their albums, Decoration Day, The Dirty South and A Blessing and a Curse, and met his wife, Shonna Tucker, who joined the band as bassist after Isbell's departure in 2007. The artist chose this moment to launch his solo career with a debut album, Sirens of the Ditch, which demonstrated a seductive formula between alternative country and Americana, earning him praise from Bruce Springsteen among others. Like "The Boss", Isbell also knew how to surround himself with skilled musicians such as Sadler Vaden, Jimbo Hart and Amanda Shires, who crafted solid, finely chiselled orchestrations for him as accompanists under the name 400 Unit. His acclaimed albums include Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (2009), Here We Rest (2011), The Nashville Sound (2017) and Reunions (2020), released in the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic. Two more group productions follow before the leader's solo comeback with Foxes in the Snow (2025), which reaches number 27 on the Billboard 200.