Austin released his first album,
What My Heart Already Knows, on May 6, 1997. The album was certified
gold by the
Canadian Recording Industry Association for sales of 50,000 copies, and the first single, "
Little Ol' Kisses," went to No. 1 the Canadian country singles chart. That same year, Austin won the Wrangler Rising Star Award from the
Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA). All of the additional singles released from the album reached the top 20, including the No. 3 song, "Diamond." In 1998, Austin was nominated for Best Country Male Vocalist at the
Juno Awards, but lost to
Paul Brandt. He moved to
Calgary, Alberta in 1998 to work on his second album. However, the project was put on hold when he was injured in a bull-riding accident on January 9, 1999. Austin was left with several broken and cracked ribs, a punctured right lung, and a gaping hole in his right leg. After his recovery,
Back in Your Life was released on March 7, 2000. The album included a cover of the
Steve Miller classic "
Take the Money and Run," which reached No. 4 on the Canadian country singles chart. The album earned Austin six CCMA nominations, and he was again nominated for Best Country Male at the Juno's, once again losing to Paul Brandt. Austin left his record label,
ViK. Recordings, in 2001. The following year, he was approached by Civilian Records president
Myles Goodwyn. His third album,
Bulletproof, was released on August 13, 2002. Singles from the album didn't perform well on the charts, and Austin left the label due to creative differences. He began work on his fourth album in 2005,
The Red and White, which was released by LMG Records in 2007. His fifth studio album,
One for One, was released be Little Ol' Records on May 26, 2009. ==Personal life==