Peyton Aldridge
Peyton Aldridge is a country singer and songwriter who grew up alongside soybeans and cotton in the Mississippi Delta. Born in Marks and raised in Cleveland, he is Mississippi, through and through. Aldridge displays the best of country music in his honest songwriting and soulful singing.
Like so many singers, Aldridge began singing at a very young age in church. His love for music spurred him to hone his singing skills and to learn piano and guitar. He knew music was his passion, but he didn’t know that he would also love playing live shows until he began performing with John Michael Balducci–another Clevelander, an incredible guitar player, and Aldridge’s long-time best friend. The pair performs as the duo Mississippi Gravy. About his love for live performance, Aldridge says, “I never really knew until I actually stepped foot on the stage for the first time with my best friend.” Since stepping onto the stage, Aldridge has been performing solo and with Mississippi Gravy at well-known venues across the region, including Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, MS.
His soulful, raspy voice–think Chris Stapleton or Luke Combs–navigates various styles with ease, and is perfectly suited for country ballads, upbeat radio hits, and even bluegrass and rockabilly. His songwriting ventures into each of these areas, showcasing the best of country music’s relatability. Aldridge’s music is honest, and even humorous. In his 2020 release “Hometown Girl,” he sings wryly about his relationship with his wife: “It’s been four years and she still ain’t tired of my face.” His second release of the year, “All Because of You,” is a fun tribute to the “small town guitar pickers, beer drinkers, country singers, dirt-road riders, back-pew sliders, sinners like me.” Love, heartbreak, and country living are the themes, and humor, positivity, and candor are the hallmarks of his music.
Despite the complications brought about by a worldwide pandemic, 2020 was a busy year for Aldridge. Aside from releasing original music for the first time, he also made an appearance on the eighteenth season of American Idol. Though he was sent home at the end of the brutal Hollywood Week, he earned exposure for his music, received some helpful critique from industry experts, and learned a lot about “show business.”
In 2022, Peyton returned to the TV stage as a performer on NBC’s The Voice, where he moved through the competition all the way to the ‘knockout’ round before returning to Mississippi. Music industry giant Jon Legend was his coach, but Nashville is Peyton’s goal. With dreams of one day performing on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, Aldridge believes his purpose is to share his God-given gifts with others, and that is what he will continue to do.
You can listen to more of Aldridge’s music on all digital platforms, and keep up with him on his website: peytonaldridge.com.