Jackson Michelson left his small hometown of Corvallis, Ore., for Music City. He traded the Oregon coast for the honky-tonks on Broadway, and he's not looking back.

In 2010, Michelson released his debut EP, Dreams, and six years later, he signed a deal with Curb Records; he released a self-titled EP in 2016 as well. In his short time on the country scene, Michelson has shared the stage with Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Lee Brice and more -- and he's learned lessons from some of the biggest stars in country music.

"Blake Shelton taught me how to be yourself and to respect every night. Each night you play a show is a gift, and we should always give it our all," Michelson tells Beyond the Stage magazine. "That’s the best advice and something I always remember before I play a show."

Michelson also takes some advice from his mama to heart: He has fun while playing music, and it makes all the difference for him and the fans.

“My mom told me at a young age, ‘Hey, it’s called playing music, and if you’re not playing, you’re doing it wrong. So if you’re not having fun, then why are you doing it?'” he explains to The Boot. “Some artists make the show about the artist, and my whole thing is, we’re going to make [the fans] see something that might only happen once tonight; we’re going to give them the best show we can, and connect with the audience and bring everything we have every night … We have a lot of fun.”

Click through the photo gallery above to learn five interesting facts about Michelson, including which instrument he almost played instead of the guitar, the details of his personal connection to Collin Raye and more.

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