Scotty McCreery to Tour With Brad Paisley in 2012

As if appearing on one of TV's highest-rated shows wasn't enough of a career boost, Scotty McCreery has now scored one of the most coveted tour slots in country music, opening for Brad Paisley in 2012. The recently-crowned 'American Idol' was invited by the 'Old Alabama' singer to hit the road with him next year during the final show of Brad's H20 II: Wetter & Wilder tour in Scotty's home state of North Carolina.

The 17-year-old joined all of Brad's current opening acts, plus a few special guests, for an encore performance of his hit, 'Alcohol.' While on stage, his future tour boss asked, "Do you want to go on tour with me?" Surprised, the former grocery store clerk nodded "yes" as his answer, prompting Brad to reply, "Great, I'm going to take you out next year!"

The high-school senior wasted no time in sharing his surprise and excitement over the invitation. "So have y'all heard the HUGE news! I'm heading out on the road with @BradPaisley in 2012!," he tweeted. "It's really humbling that somebody like him would invite me to tour with him. I just hope I'm ready for any pranks he throws my way ... haha."

Brad posted the photo above on his own Twitter page, joking, "Look who's here tonight. Hopefully @ScottyMcCreery is learning how NOT to behave on tour!"

Scotty is undoubtedly looking forward to picking up a few lessons from the seasoned veteran. "I've learned a lot and I've still got plenty more to learn," he tells The Boot. "I'm young and this is pretty early for a teenager to get in this business, but you've got to pick the songs and you've got to relate to the audience, and you've got to do a lot of things behind-the-scenes to make things go right and to make things smooth ... You can never really plan out stuff in the music business, from what I've learned. Hopefully, it works out."

More details of Brad's 2012 tour will be announced shortly. Meanwhile, Scotty is anticipating the release of his debut album, 'Clear as Day,' which will hit shelves on Tuesday, Oct. 4. The second single from the upcoming CD, 'The Trouble With Girls,' recently landed in the Top 40 on the charts.