Premiering tonight on CBS, The Road follows 12 up-and-coming artists as they open each night for country superstar Keith Urban. Afterwards, the audience will decide who moves on to the next city and whose journey comes to an end. North Carolina native Jon Wood is one of the lucky dozen hoping to walk away with the recording contract and $250,000 grand prize. Here are three things you should know about the 28-year-old singer-songwriter from Wake Forest, North Carolina.
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He Gets His Love of Music From His Dad
Jon Wood’s father, Steven, came to Nashville six years ahead of his son’s 1997 birth to pursue his country music dreams. Steven Wood worked for Cavalry Records and played various festivals and churches before the family settled in Wake Forest, North Carolina, when Jon was just 2 years old.
“He had four boys and anything that would take him to the next level would end up taking him away from his family, so he realized he wanted to be a dad more than anything,” The Road hopeful said in a 2019 interview. “So he put that on to the side and raised us and taught us how to write songs and sing.”
Wood’s family formed a bluegrass band when he was growing up, performing together at festivals. In 2018, the then 21-year-old left behind his hometown in search of country music stardom. ” I moved [to Nashville] when I was 21 after a 15-minute conversation with my parents and honestly, the rest of my story is still being written,” he said.
[RELATED: Meet the 12 Artists Competing on ‘The Road’, Keith Urban and Blake Shelton’s New CBS Show]
He Has Collaborated With Award-Winning Songwriter Justin Weaver
After just five months of living in Nashville, Jon Wood connected with songwriter Justin Weaver, who has penned country music hits like Brantley Gilbert’s “Bottoms Up”, Jason Aldean’s “Even If I Wanted To” and the Meghan Trainor/John Legend pop hit, “Like I’m Gonna Lose You.” Together, they co-wrote all four tracks on The Road star’s 2019 EP, From Where I’m From. Wood’s second EP, 919 to 615, came out in 2023.
He’s Inspired By Kenny Chesney
While still showing love for the all-time greats like Merle Haggard and George Jones, Jon Wood’s primary inspiration is slightly more modern.
“We want to find the sound that Kenny Chesney tapped into in the early 2000s,” said The Road hopeful. “It was traditional but he could sell out a stadium with it and keep the energy going.”
Catch Jon Wood Sundays on ‘The Road’
Premiering Oct. 19, The Road airs Sundays on CBS at 9 p.m. Eastern.
Featured image by John Shearer/Getty Images for CBS
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