aaron lewis of staind - country boy

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis is making the jump to country music, similar to other rock-oriented stars like Kid Rock and Darius Rucker.

His solo debut, Town Line, is due out in February 2011 with the disc's first single, "Country Boy". "Country Boy" features George Jones, Charlie Daniels and Chris Young.

Lewis explained that he grew up listening to country music, and the genre change isn't as drastic as it might appear.

"Country was the background music to my childhood. My grandfather listened to Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Hank Williams, Jr., and all of the greats," Lewis said.

Lewis says that another rock-turned-country star, Kid Rock, was another part of the inspiration to go country.

"When Staind did our first tour with Kid Rock in 1999, I rode the bus with him on a couple occasions and we bonded over this music," Lewis said. "I haven't been able to let go of it since then."