Firmly within the mainstream of country music and clever enough to offer sly updates to classic sounds, Jon Pardi carries the torch for hardcore country. His 2015 album California Sunrise turned him into a star on the strength of its number one country singles, ‘Head Over Boots’ and ‘Dirt on My Boots.’ His 2019 follow-up, Heartache Medication, fared nearly as well, and his success spilled into the next decade, continuing with his 2022 album Mr. Saturday Night and the 2023 holiday release Merry Christmas from Jon Pardi.
Born and raised in Dixon, California, Jon Pardi fell in love with country music when he was a kid, aided by the presence of his grandmother’s karaoke machine. He was drawn to hardcore singers from George Jones to George Strait, and he took a shine to singing, performing Garth Brooks’ ‘Friends in Low Places’ at his dad’s birthday party when he was merely seven. Pardi picked up a guitar shortly afterward, attempting his first songs when he was 12 and joining a band when he was 14. After graduating from high school, he formed a duo with his friend Chase McGrew. The pair played around their hometown, then headed to Chico, where they attended Butte Junior College while playing in a band called Northern Comfort. Pardi split from McGrew in 2008, moving to Nashville to attempt to break into the country music business. While working as a lifeguard, he hawked his songs, landing a publishing deal 18 months after his arrival. Pardi began placing songs and attracting attention as a performer.
Capitol Records Nashville signed Pardi, sending him into the studio with producer Bart Butler. ‘Missin’ You Crazy,’ his first single, appeared in the spring of 2012, but it was the 2013 track ‘Up All Night’ that gave him his first country Top Ten. Write You a Song, his full-length debut, appeared in early 2014. In September 2015, Pardi released ‘Head Over Boots,’ his first single from his second album, California Sunrise. The album turned Pardi into a star with hits like ‘Head Over Boots’ and ‘Dirt on My Boots.’ Pardi’s career continued with the release of his third album, Heartache Medication, in September 2019, followed by Rancho Fiesta Sessions, a collection of cover songs in the next year. His fourth LP, Mr. Saturday Night, was released in 2022, and a holiday album titled Merry Christmas from Jon Pardi came out in October 2023. Pardi collaborated with Luke Bryan on the single ‘Cowboys and Plowboys’ in the same month.