Aaron Lewis is a popular American musician and a singer known for his great work as the leading vocalist of an alternative rock band named Staind, formed in 1995. Many people know him from various TV appearances as well!
His great musical skills came especially to surface after he started his solo career but in a completely different genre of music: in country music. He said that he wanted to find himself in another genre and spend time doing the things he truly loves.
He has released three solo albums since 2010 with the last one released in April 2019. He says that he is very thankful for the fact that people have been so supportive of his music and that they still buy his records even though his band’s career was over a long time ago.
Early years
He was born as Aaron Lewis on April 13, 1972, in the town named Rutland City, in the state of Vermont, in the United States. He said that growing up in the United States was a very interesting thing for him and he eventually learned how to cope with all of the things happening on the streets in the 80s.
He had spent his childhood living with his hippie parents who lived in a log cabin in his hometown Rutland City. It was really fun and he says that he surely would not change this for a standard house life because he learned a lot about life when he lived this way.
After his parents split up Aaron started living with his dad and his grandfather in Massachusetts. Aaron claims that it was pretty hard for him to live without his parents and he blamed himself for their divorce a long time.
His parents were members of a folk band so Aaron learned about folk music when he was very young. He always felt as if the music was his best escape and as if he was going to be a creator: his parents always supported him as well.
He was a big fan of Harry Chapin, Stills, and James Taylor. He says that it’s very important to have clear influences in your life because otherwise, you’re just stumbling around in the dark.
His parents had a very dysfunctional relationship, uplifting and reuniting from time to time until they split for good and Aaron moved to Springfield in Massachusetts where he continued living with his dad.
He was 13 years old when his parents finally divorced, after years of torment and trying to fix their marriage. He said that it was better this way because he didn’t want to watch them fight all of the time.
His mother decided to move back to their old home in New Hampshire but Aaron chose to stay with his dad. He wanted to spend time with him, but he later had to move to his grandparents so this didn’t pay off.
He has two sisters with whom he was raised until his parent’s divorce. The younger one stayed with him and his dad and the older one went with his mother.
Aaron loved living in Vermont with his grandad named Corky. They had the best time together.
The two of them have spent a lot of time together since they both liked fishing and hunting and it was a true bonding experience that helped Aaron get over his parent’s divorce.
His grandfather is the man that causes him to like country music so much – he played it almost non-stop. Aaron sees his career nowadays as a tribute to his grandfather who was a very big support in his life. He hopes that he is proud of him when he watches over him.
Spending time with Corky awaken love for outdoors in Aaron and he is still a huge fan of nature.
He stated that he never felt relaxes living with his parents because there was always tension, arguing and tight atmosphere at home.
This caused him to become a sensitive child. He was very sad when his grandfather died because he was closely connected to him and felt more love dor him than for his parents.
His childhood wasn’t ideal when it comes to having friends roo since he was often picked by the boys in the neighborhood.
He was beaten a few times more, and it seems that he was tortured in some ways too. He said that it was very tough to go through all of that, but he had built a whole new personality that was much tougher now and he is very happy for the fact that he did.
He has found solace in music which helped him overcome the abandonment issues he coped with. He said that it was always something he could relate to.
After his grandad died he stopped listening to country music not only because he didn’t have a partner with whom he would listen to but also because it was painful for him since country music reminded him on Corky.
Career development
Most of his friends were into rock music so he started listening to it.
He has joined his first band titles “J-CAT” after which he made his way to the band that made him famous: Staind.
He considered this music to be therapeutic for him and he enjoyed it. But it seems that he has missed country music all of the time and that he was at peace when he finally turned to it.
In 1999, his group Staind went on a tour with Kid Rock. This tour was a revelation for him.
He has spent a lot of time with Kid Rock on his bus and during all that time country music played on the bus.
This reminded him of his childhood, and he couldn’t get away from those memories anymore.
He said that writing a country song haunts him for years and that he decided finally to do it. That is how his first song named “Country Boy” came to life.
Aaron finally decides to follow his path and start his career in country music. His band Staind is on hiatus while he pursued his career.
His former band members found new gigs elsewhere. In 2011 he has released his first country EP named “Town Line”. The EP did well for a completely new band which was a surprise to them, but also a good sign.
It was released by Atroudavariouy Records. It was featured by other artists such as George Jones and Chris Young.
His debut solo album was released at the end of 2012. He was very scared to publish it because of the sudden change of the genre, but he was happy when he heard that the piece received very good critics overall.
It was named “The Road” and his lead single called “Endless Summer” entered the country charts.
He has written all of the songs himself. Aaron appeared as a guest on a song made by “Limo Bizkit” named “No Sex”.
He also collaborated with Linkin Park. He made a lot of collabs: with Cold, Jimmy Chicken Shack, and Sevendust.
In 2014, he appeared as a performer at the Kansas City Rockfest and he made an act which was applauded by the audience: he criticized a mam from the audience for groping a teenage girl who was walking through a crowd.
He also performed at 2014 World Series Game where he made a controversy for singing America’s anthem wrong.
He started an apology, blaming his nerves for it. This was very embarrassing for him, especially since he was a country singer. He said that it was very stressful for him to do it and that he was very tired as well.
He performed in Oklahoma City in 2019 and was scolded by the audience who shouted at him saying to him that he must stop performing.
He stormed off the stage after the public refused to be quiet. He even tossed a cup at them and dropped his guitar on the stage before he left. Many people remember him because of this, but he says that he would never like to be remembered for his controversy.
His career with a rock band Staind started in 1995 when he formed it alongside Mike Mushok, Jon Wysocki and Johnny April.
The group was very successful in the US and managed to release seven-album before they were put on hiatus.
He has released his second album named “Sinner” in 2016.
Aaron co-founded a music production company named “Little House of Faith Productions”.
Personal life
As for his personal life, Aaron was in a very long relationship with Vanessa who became his wife.
They have a very stable and respectable marriage. They have three daughters named Zoe Jane, Indie Shay and Nyla Rae.
Aaron is involved in politics very much and is a Republican. It is known that he supports the legalization of marijuana and he often shares his views through his songs.
He was a supporter of President Donald Trump when he was elected in 2016 but had changed his mind a bit since he doesn’t like his behavior and name-calling he uses a lot.
He loves to hunt and is specialized for hunting whitetail deer.
He rose a controversy by calling a female senator Elizabeth Warren a liar, especially after he referred to her as “Pocahontas”. He says that she preaches one thing and does another.
His daughter Zoe was 13 years old when she performed alongside him on his remake along with of “Travelin’ Soldier” which is originally a single performed by Dixie Chicks.
He says that it was a very special song for him and stated that his daughter won’t become a musician.
He is involved in charity events whenever he is invited. He helped “It Takes a Community” organization to reopen an elementary school which was closed.
He never received a music award but was nominated for it twice: in 2011 he was nominated for the CMT Awards in the categories Breakthrough Video of the Year and Collaborative Video of the year for his song “Country Boy”.
Quick summary
Full name: Aaron Lewis
Date of birth: April 13, 1972
Birthplace: Rutland City, Vermont, United States
Age: 47
Profession: rock singer, country singer, musician
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 81 kg
Net Worth: $9 million