A Georgia kid taught himself guitar from chord charts his dad hand-drew on notebook paper — and grew up to become country music's most polarizing superstar. Jason Aldean's journey runs from DIY living-room lessons to multi-platinum stadium tours, the Route 91 Harvest festival tragedy in Las Vegas, and the white-hot center of America's culture wars.

Aldean's genius was acting as a cultural bridge: keeping the lyrics rooted in dirt roads and small towns while updating the sound for kids who had Lil Wayne and Ludacris on their iPods alongside George Strait. The formula expanded country's audience by millions — and made him impossible to ignore and impossible to agree on.

• He learned guitar by ear from crude chord diagrams his father drew before work each day

• He won the ACM Entertainer of the Year award three consec ...