Jerrod Niemann has had a difficult journey to country music success. The Kansas native self-released his earliest recordings, 1999's 'Long Hard Road' and 2004's 'Jukebox of Hard Knocks,' independently, and their titles would prove prophetic as he struggled for more than a decade to make his place in country music. He caught a break as a songwriter early on, penning "That Girl Is a Cowboy," "Midnight Sun" and "Good Ride Cowboy" for Garth Brooks. The latter earned a BMI Award as one of the most-played songs of 2005. Niemann signed a development deal with Mercury Records in 2001, but never released anything on that label, while another album, 2006's 'Behind the Micophone,' never saw the light of day when Category 5 Records closed before releasing it in 2006. His luck changed in 2010, when he released his major label debut, 'Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury,' via Arista Nashville's Sea Gayle division. The album's first single, "Lover, Lover," reached No. 1, and Niemann has subsequently scored with hits like "One More Drinkin' Song," "What Do You Want" and "Shinin' on Me." In 2013 "Drink to That All Night," the first single from his third album, 'High Noon,' gave Niemann his second No. 1 hit.