Tyler Farr spent years as a Jason Aldean fan before the two became buddies, thanks in part to their two years on the road together, on Aldean's Burn It Down Tour. Now, Farr says, Aldean is one of his closest friends, as well as a mentor.

"He’s a great entertainer, and he is very honest with me, and I’m very honest with him," Farr tells The Boot. "He’ll call me bad names, I’ll call him bad names right back. I think that’s why we became good friends.

"He just has great songs ... He’s one of the best entertainers I’ve been around honestly, if not the best," Farr continues. "H[e has a] capability of sifting through songs and finding that hit and the songs that connect to his people.

"You go back and listen to his albums, you’ll hear consistency -- the power chords and the country lyrics mixed with some rock," Farr explains. "He’s got that distinctive voice. He’s a stylist, and I love stylists, hence George Jones, John Anderson, Earl Thomas Conley -- I like the guys that, when they come one, it’s, ‘Oh, that’s him,’ and he has it. Luke Bryan has it, too."

Aldean and Farr's two-year touring partnership has come to an end this year, though the two artists will both be on the road in 2016: Aldean's We Were Here Tour began on Jan. 14, while Farr and Lee Brice's Life Off My Years Tour will kick off in February.

"We decided [this] year would be too much because people might think we’re more than just tour buddies," Farr jokes. "... I don’t know if he has a man crush on me. He’s kept me out for two years."

No matter whether Farr is serving as the opening act or the headliner, he will always remain a student of country music.

"I learn from these guys. I'm always going to learn. I'll never stop learning," he says. "I’ll live to be 80, I’ll probably be learning then, too."

A list of all of Farr's upcoming shows is available on his website. His 2016 calendar includes a spot in the lineup at Country Jam 2016, which will take place in June, just outside of Grand Junction, Colo.

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