Country singer Jason Aldean [ tickets ] is getting ready to head out on his first solo trek across the US and Canada.

The performer will wrap this year with shows in Oklahoma, Texas and Kentucky before launching his 20-city "Relentless Tour" Jan. 17 in Columbia, MO. The club/theater outing will stretch from the Midwest to the East Coast and visit the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Details are listed below.

Aldean has been playing in front of some big audiences lately, opening for acts including Rascal Flatts, but he's looking forward to building relationships with his fans in a more intimate setting.

"I have learned a lot from being on the road with Rascal Flatts this year about the kind of arena tour I want to have one day," Aldean said in a statement. "But, the first step is to go back to some smaller venues and keep building our fanbase one show at a time. We won't stop playing until everybody in the place is on their feet and having a good time."

The Georgia native, who blends traditional country with southern rock, is supporting his sophomore release, "Relentless," which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart in June. The set has spawned hit singles "Johnny Cash" and "Laughed Until We Cried," which are streaming at Aldean's MySpace page.

The singer, who has been playing clubs since he was a teenager, got a rough start in the music industry, having been dropped from his first two record labels without producing an album. Things turned around when his 2005 self-titled debut on indie label Broken Bow scored hit singles with "Hicktown," "Why" and "Amarillo Sky," and sold more than a million copies.

Aldean went on to win the Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Male Vocalist and was nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.