Brad Paisley Wants to Meet and Play With Eric Clapton

Brad Paisley has plenty of famous friends, but there's one celebrity he admits he's still dying to meet.

"I sure love Eric Clapton, and one of these days would love to play with him," Paisley admits (quote via Country Weekly). The West Virginia native almost got his wish when Clapton invited Paisley to play at his annual Crossroads Festival, which features some of the best guitar players in the world.

Unfortunately, the 'Mona Lisa' singer had a scheduling conflict that prohibited him from attending, but he says he hopes to have a face-to-face encounter with his own musical hero soon.

"But one of these years, I hope to even -- I've never even met him," Paisley notes. "That would be top of mind right now as far as people I haven't met."

Paisley features plenty of eclectic musical guests on his latest album, 'Wheelhouse,' including LL Cool J, Roger Miller and Charlie Daniels. But while his list of collaborators might be diverse, he says each person had a purpose on his latest record.

“They are all on purpose and done because of what they do and who they are,” Paisley explains to The Boot. “I felt like they were each perfect for what I’m trying to say in each of those songs and how I tried to convey it, and they are used as instruments, almost additional players.”

Paisley has extended his Beat This Summer tour, renamed Beat This Winter, through early 2014, with Chris Young and Danielle Bradbery continuing as his opening acts. See all of his upcoming shows here.