Ryan Adams (born David Ryan Adams on November 5, 1974) is an alt-country/rock singer/songwriter from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Adams dropped out of high school at 16 to work in a shoe shop and make music. He formed a band named Whiskeytown in 1994; they disbanded in 1999. Adams went on to put out his first solo record, Heartbreaker, in 2000, which was subsequently reissued on SACD by audiophile label Mobile Fidelity in 2004.