Brad Paisley photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Every person is a summation of life’s experiences, everything that’s happened in his or her past. Brad Paisley has made a living by connecting the dots between the past and the present through much of his career — most notably on his current “Welcome To The Future.”

That song ties technology, global politics and racial advances in one well-written portrait of contemporary America, but it’s hardly the only time he’s tackled the subject. His first hit, “Who Needs Pictures,” used photographs of a past relationship to portray a broken heart; “Letter To Me” made a connection between the adult Brad and the teenage version; and his ballad “Then” — currently nominated for the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year — puts the early years of his marriage in context with its current state.

“People place value on pieces of their past, and they don’t let things go easily,” Brad told The Baltimore Sun. “Nostalgia has a way of making things cooler than they even were.”

Years from now, nostalgia will likely be kind to this moment in Brad’s career, in which he’s displayed a heavy streak of loyalty. He’s written the bulk of his hits with a small group of co-writers, including Chris DuBois, Ashley Gorley, Lee Thomas Miller and neighbor Kelley Lovelace.

“It’s like driving a car with somebody you like, versus going on a road trip by yourself,” Brad said of collaborations. “Co-writing can be just as annoying as riding in a car with somebody you don’t like, too. I only write with people I really like and get along with.”

The Song of the Year nomination for “Then” is just one of seven nominations Brad picked up for the CMA Awards, which he co-hosts Nov. 11 with Carrie Underwood. “Then” is a finalist for Single of the Year, while Brad’s also in the running for Entertainer, Male Vocalist and Album, for American Saturday Night. In addition, “Start A Band” has Brad and Keith Urban up for Music Video and Musical Event.

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