BRENT MASON
Brent Mason is one of the most recorded guitarists in history. He is a Grammy Award winner, a 14 time winner of the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Guitarist of the Year Award, and a 2 time winner of the CMA Award Musician of the Year. He has been named as one of the top ten session guitarists in the world, joining the ranks of Jimmy Page, Larry Carlton, Tommy Tedesco and Steve Cropper. In October 2019 he was inducted into the Musician’s Hall of Fame and in May 2023 was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame Nashville Cats. Brent has played on well over a thousand albums and continues to add to this extensive resume. He has also released two of his own albums, produced a number of artists, and holds several credits as a songwriter.
Brent was born in Van Wert, Ohio. At five years old he taught himself to play guitar by ear. He moved to Nashville after graduating from high school, in order to pursue a career in country music. Early Nashville gigs included a stint with the Don Kelly Band, a cover band who performed at the flinty Murfreesboro Road Honky-tonk, ''The Stagecoach Lounge. Eventually, he was discovered by country guitarist Chet Atkins, who invited him to play on his ''Stay Tuned'' album. From there, Mason has gone on to play on well over a thousand albums. Mason signed to Mercury Records in 1997, releasing an instrumental album entitled ''Hot Wired'' the same year. This was his only major-label album. He made a decision to leave Mercury Records soon after to remain in Nashville and work in the recording studio as a session guitarist rather than spend most of his time on the road touring and away from his family. He and his brother Randy released a second album, entitled ''Smokin' Section'', in 2006.
Although Brent works mainly as a studio musician he has produced several albums. In November 2013, Mason collaborated with online education site JamPlay.com to put together a series of lessons for aspiring guitarists. From 2003-2010 Valley Arts Guitar (a division of Gibson Guitars) joined with Brent to create and manufacture the Valley Arts Brent Mason Signature Guitar. In 2012 Brent joined forces with PRS Guitars to help create the Brent Mason Signature PRS Model Guitar. In addition he has been affiliated with Wampler Pedals for years and his “Hot Wired” Brent Mason Pedal is one of their best selling products.