Zac Brown Band
Encyclopedia
Zac Brown Band is an American country music
, southern rock, and folk band based in Atlanta, Georgia
. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (vocals
, guitar
, bass guitar
, percussion
), Jimmy De Martini (fiddle
, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, vocals), Coy Bowles (guitar, keyboards
), Chris Fryar
(drums
) and Clay Cook
(guitar, keyboards, mandolin
, steel guitar
, vocals). The band has toured throughout the United States, including a slot on the 2009
and 2010
Bonnaroo Music Festival
. They have also recorded four studio albums, and charted seven Number One singles on the Billboard
country charts: "Chicken Fried
", "Toes
", "Highway 20 Ride
", "Free
", "As She's Walking Away
", "Colder Weather
", and "Knee Deep
" in addition to the single "Whatever It Is
," which peaked at number 2 on the same chart.
, Lakeview Academy in Gainesville, Georgia
, and South Forsyth High School in Cumming. He later moved to Dahlonega, Georgia, where he graduated from Lumpkin County High School. He learned to play classical guitar at the age of 7. As a teenager, he played solo gigs in local venues, performing country and pop cover songs.
, where he was a member of the Zeta Kappa chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order
fraternity. He was also a camp counselor at Camp Mikell in Toccoa, Ga. & Camp Glisson, a United Methodist summer camp located in Dahlonega, GA. While in college, he started a band and played dates in local restaurants with the band, and solo as well, to earn money to pay for school. During this time, the band recorded an album to sell at their gigs, but disbanded during recording sessions. On September 11, 2001, after the terrorist attacks occurred, Brown decided that life was too short doing something that he did not enjoy, so he withdrew from school that day and decided to pursue music full-time.
In 2004, Brown opened a music club and restaurant with his father in the Lake Oconee area of Georgia called "Zac's Place" where the fare was southern-style cooking. A developer bought the restaurant and, in turn, the Zac Brown Band bought a tour bus and began touring full-time, playing rock and country clubs as well as folk and jam band festivals. 2004 also saw the release of the Zac Brown Band's first independent album, Far from Einstyne.
It was also in 2004 when Brown added violin/fiddle player and harmony singer Jimmy De Martini to the Zac Brown Band, thus beginning a five-year development of the band's current lineup. According to an interview with De Martini, he explained that Wyatt Durette, Brown's frequent songwriting collaborator, was working as a bartender at Sidelines Sports Bar in Kennesaw, Georgia at the time, where the Zac Brown Band frequently performed. Durette suggested De Martini to Brown, who was wanting a "lead instrument" in his band, as well as a harmony singer. After doing several performances with the band at the club, Brown asked De Martini to become a full-time member, to which he gladly obliged.
In 2005, the Zac Brown Band released its second independent album, Home Grown. That same year, John Driskell Hopkins joined the band as its bass guitarist and low harmony singer. Hopkins, who was well-known in the Atlanta area as the leader of the band Brighter Shade, first met Brown in 1998 at an open mic event hosted by Hopkins and they remained friends since. Additionally, Hopkins also co-produced the Zac Brown Band's Home Grown album.
In 2006, the Zac Brown Band recorded The Foundation
with producer Keith Stegall. It was also in 2006 when Coy Bowles joined the band alternating on guitar and keyboards. Bowles and Brown first met in the late 1990s when they were both students at the University of West Georgia
, where Bowles was studying biology. Bowles also vividly remembers seeing Brown perform for the first time. He explains, "I walked into a restaurant and Zac was singing and playing guitar. I heard a couple tunes and turned to my buddy and said, 'That dude might have the richest and loudest voice I ever heard!' I don’t even think Zac had a microphone and you could hear him all across the bar.”
Bowles then transferred to Atlanta's Georgia State University
to study music. He subsequently became involved in Atlanta's various music scenes, and eventually formed Coy Bowles and the Fellowship in 2004. Two years later, Bowles decided to reconnect with his old friend, Zac Brown. Through mutual friends, he learned that the Zac Brown Band was scheduled to perform in Atlanta one evening. Bowles and Brown spent the afternoon prior the performance reacquanting with each other, which ended with Brown inviting Bowles to sit in with the Zac Brown at that night's performance, which Bowles gladly accepted. To return the favor, Bowles invited the band to attend his own gig with the Fellowship a couple of months later, which, in turn, ended up with Brown and his band sitting in at that gig.
This trend continued for eight months until Bowles concluded that it was too overwhelming to balance his time with Brown's band and his own band and other activities, thus making a difficult decision to put the Fellowship on hiatus and become a full-time member of the Zac Brown Band, as that was what he enjoyed the most.
In 2008, the Zac Brown Band signed to Live Nation Artists Records (in association with Brown's own Home Grown label), but not before Brown asked Chris Fryar to join the band as its drummer. An Alabama
native, Fryar attended North Texas State University and the Mississippi University for Women
and made a name for himself in the Birmingham
music scene.
", was originally recorded in 2003 and included on the Home Grown album, but later re-recorded and released to country radio in 2008. This song was also recorded by The Lost Trailers
, whose 2006 recording was released as a single but withdrawn after Brown decided that he wanted to release it himself. Brown also co-wrote "Simple Life", a song recorded by The Lost Trailers on their 2006 self-titled album
.
In October 2008, Atlantic Records
took over distribution of "Chicken Fried" after Live Nation Artists closed. The band's album The Foundation
was released under Atlantic Records' newly re-established country division in association with the Home Grown/Big Picture label on November 18, 2008. "Chicken Fried" reached #1 on the country charts in November 2008, making them the first country band to reach #1 with a debut single since Heartland did so in 2006 with "I Loved Her First
."
and Shawn Mullins
, and was also a member of the Marshall Tucker Band
for two years prior to joining the Zac Brown Band. According to Cook, he and Brown actually graduated from high school, but were never acquainted with each other at that time. He explains how he first met Brown, "We ran into each other (in) 2003 in a club scene in Atlanta, where I think my band opened up for his band...ever since then, we've been friendly...and I think he just thought I was a singer-songwriter for a long time; and then we were on a (music) cruise ship together...and I was playing with the Marshall Tucker Band at the time, and [Brown]'s band (also participated in the cruise)...and [Brown] actually got to see me play the guitar...and then he realized, 'I need this guy in my band,' I guess."
Brown himself admits to his strong desire to add Cook to his band. Brown explains, "He’d been playin’ with Marshall Tucker for the last four or five years, singin’ for them, helpin’ to take the weight of singin’ and playin’ guitar for them. I’d been tryin’ to get him in the band for three years, and you know, it’s been a journey, but I always knew [he could make us better]. I’m a harmony fanatic. I love big harmonies and things, and we didn’t have a high tenor, and Jimmy [De Martini], my fiddle player, sings a lot of the high stuff now, but havin’ somebody that can actually sing on top of that, we’ve added a four-part harmony now that’s searing, and the guy’s a monster player, too."
Cook also expressed his desire to leave the Marshall Tucker Band in order to join the Zac Brown Band. He explains, "The Marshall Tucker Band is a legacy act. We’re playing songs that were written 40 years ago. But they’re still doing a great job with it and they’re still entertaining crowds with it. I left mainly to be part of something from the beginning. I wanted to be an original member–in certain terms. With the Marshall Tucker Band, you couldn’t do that. They’ve been around since the early 70’s. Zac was coming on to the scene and even though I wasn’t a member of the Zac Brown Band from six or seven years ago, the public perception is that I’m part of the band from the beginning. That’s the perception even though I wasn’t there in the club days and the running around in the van days."
With the final Zac Brown Band lineup completed, the band released its second single, "Whatever It Is
," which went to #2. In October 2009, a third single, "Toes
," became the band's second Number One. The album's fourth single, and third #1, was "Highway 20 Ride
". "Free
" was the album's fifth single and on the week of August 21, 2010, it also peaked at Number One.
The group was also nominated in 2009 for three ACM awards, "Album of the Year", "Top Vocal Group", and was one of eight contenders for "Entertainer of the Year".
The Zac Brown Band lead the nominees for the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards 2011, with a total of nine nominations including: Top Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year
by Ryan Adams, The Devil Went Down To Georgia
by Charlie Daniels, I Shall Be Released
by Bob Dylan
, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
by The Band
, Blackbird
by The Beatles
, Into The Mystic
by Van Morrison
, One Love
by Bob Marley
, Killing in the Name
by Rage Against the Machine
and Can't You See
by The Marshall Tucker Band
. On their 2010 Live benefit album Pass the Jar
, these songs were included in their setlist.
Along with recent commercial success, the band has made appearances at The Hangout Music Festival, Hullabalou Music Festival and the Bonnaroo Music Festival
in 2006, 2009, and 2010 along with an opening slot for the Dave Matthews Band
during their 2010 Summer Tour. Also, after several years as perennial favorites on the annual The Rock Boat
theme-cruise, the Zac Brown Band has been elevated to hosting their own theme-cruise, Sailing Southern Ground, in September 2010.
In 2011, the Zac Brown Band and Blackberry Smoke
did a tour of sold out concerts at venues and amphitheaters including Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA.
Zac Brown Band was also a headliner at the 2010 Detroit Hoedown.
Jimmy Buffett, Duane Cahill, Aaron Carman and guitar virtuoso Tony Rice join Alan Jackson as special guests on the new Zac Brown Band album, "You Get What You Give
," which was released on September 21, 2010.
Zac Brown Band appeared at the Country Music Association Awards
on Nov 10, 2010, performing As She's Walking Away
.
Zac Brown Band appeared as special guests for Kings of Leon at London’s Hyde Park on June 22, 23 and at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on June 26.
Zac Brown Band appeared at Ft. Stewart, Georgia and played a free concert for soldiers and family members on July 4, 2011 to a crowd of over 24,000 people.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, southern rock, and folk band based in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
), Jimmy De Martini (fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, vocals), Coy Bowles (guitar, keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), Chris Fryar
Chris Fryar
Chris Fryar is an American drummer. He is a member of the Grammy Award winning group, Zac Brown Band, He has also worked with Oteil and the Peacemakers, led by bassist Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers Band, Charles Neville, Victor Wooten, John Popper, Steve Bailey, David Hood, Robert Moore...
(drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) and Clay Cook
Clay Cook
Douglas "Clay" Cook is a songwriter, producer and musician who co-wrote several songs with Grammy-winner John Mayer including "No Such Thing", "Comfortable", and "Neon"...
(guitar, keyboards, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
, vocals). The band has toured throughout the United States, including a slot on the 2009
2009 Bonnaroo Music Festival
The 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was held June 11–14, 2009 at a farm in Manchester, Tennessee, . There were roughly 75,000 people in attendance....
and 2010
2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival
The 2010 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was held on June 10–13, 2010. The line-up was announced Tuesday, February 9, although the original line-up release date was scheduled for February 2. It was broadcast live on YouTube...
Bonnaroo Music Festival
Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...
. They have also recorded four studio albums, and charted seven Number One singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts: "Chicken Fried
Chicken Fried
"Chicken Fried" is the title of a song which has been recorded by two different bands. The first version was recorded in 2003 by the Zac Brown Band, whose frontman Zac Brown wrote it, for the 2005 album Home Grown. A second version was then released in 2006 by The Lost Trailers, whose version was...
", "Toes
Toes (song)
"Toes" is the title of a song recorded by the Zac Brown Band, an American country music band. Lead singer Zac Brown and bass guitarist John Driskell Hopkins co-wrote the song with Shawn Mullins and Wyatt Durette...
", "Highway 20 Ride
Highway 20 Ride
"Highway 20 Ride" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Zac Brown Band, written by lead singer Zac Brown and Wyatt Durette. The song was released in November 2009 as the fourth single from the band's 2009 album The Foundation. It is the band's third Number One on the U.S...
", "Free
Free (Zac Brown Band song)
"Free" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Zac Brown Band for their 2008 album The Foundation. On April 12, 2010, it was released as the fifth and final single from the album. It debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts at #54 for the week of May 1, 2010...
", "As She's Walking Away
As She's Walking Away
"As She's Walking Away" is the title of a song performed by the Zac Brown Band, an American country music band. It features guest vocals from veteran country singer Alan Jackson. The song is the sixth single release by the band, and the first from its album You Get What You Give...
", "Colder Weather
Colder Weather
"Colder Weather" is the title of a song performed by the Zac Brown Band, an American country music group. Lead singer Zac Brown co-wrote the song with Coy Bowles , Wyatt Durrette and Levi Lowrey...
", and "Knee Deep
Knee Deep
"Knee Deep" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffett. It was released in May 2011 as the third single from the Zac Brown Band's second major-label album, 2010's You Get What You Give. It reached number-one on the U.S...
" in addition to the single "Whatever It Is
Whatever It Is
"Whatever It Is" a song by the Zac Brown Band, an American country music group. It is the second single release from the 2008 album The Foundation and the band's second Top 3 hit on the Billboard country singles charts...
," which peaked at number 2 on the same chart.
Early life
Zac Brown was born July 31, 1978 in Cumming, Georgia. He was raised by his mom and step-dad, a dentist on Lake Lanier. The 11th of 12 children, Brown attended Mashburn Elementary School in Cumming, GeorgiaCumming, Georgia
Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,430 at the 2010 census. However, places with a Cumming mailing address have a population of around 100,000...
, Lakeview Academy in Gainesville, Georgia
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
, and South Forsyth High School in Cumming. He later moved to Dahlonega, Georgia, where he graduated from Lumpkin County High School. He learned to play classical guitar at the age of 7. As a teenager, he played solo gigs in local venues, performing country and pop cover songs.
College
Brown attended the University of West GeorgiaUniversity of West Georgia
The University of West Georgia is a comprehensive doctoral-granting university in Carrollton, Georgia, approximately 45 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia. The University is built on 645 acres including a recent land gift of 246 acres from the city of Carrollton in 2003...
, where he was a member of the Zeta Kappa chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
fraternity. He was also a camp counselor at Camp Mikell in Toccoa, Ga. & Camp Glisson, a United Methodist summer camp located in Dahlonega, GA. While in college, he started a band and played dates in local restaurants with the band, and solo as well, to earn money to pay for school. During this time, the band recorded an album to sell at their gigs, but disbanded during recording sessions. On September 11, 2001, after the terrorist attacks occurred, Brown decided that life was too short doing something that he did not enjoy, so he withdrew from school that day and decided to pursue music full-time.
Formation
In 2002, the Zac Brown Band was formed and they began traveling with a heavy tour schedule of approximately 200 dates a year. The initial Zac Brown Band lineup consisted of Brown, on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, backed by a drummer and a bass guitarist. In 2003, Brown started his own label, called Home Grown (today, it is called Southern Ground for legal reasons).In 2004, Brown opened a music club and restaurant with his father in the Lake Oconee area of Georgia called "Zac's Place" where the fare was southern-style cooking. A developer bought the restaurant and, in turn, the Zac Brown Band bought a tour bus and began touring full-time, playing rock and country clubs as well as folk and jam band festivals. 2004 also saw the release of the Zac Brown Band's first independent album, Far from Einstyne.
It was also in 2004 when Brown added violin/fiddle player and harmony singer Jimmy De Martini to the Zac Brown Band, thus beginning a five-year development of the band's current lineup. According to an interview with De Martini, he explained that Wyatt Durette, Brown's frequent songwriting collaborator, was working as a bartender at Sidelines Sports Bar in Kennesaw, Georgia at the time, where the Zac Brown Band frequently performed. Durette suggested De Martini to Brown, who was wanting a "lead instrument" in his band, as well as a harmony singer. After doing several performances with the band at the club, Brown asked De Martini to become a full-time member, to which he gladly obliged.
In 2005, the Zac Brown Band released its second independent album, Home Grown. That same year, John Driskell Hopkins joined the band as its bass guitarist and low harmony singer. Hopkins, who was well-known in the Atlanta area as the leader of the band Brighter Shade, first met Brown in 1998 at an open mic event hosted by Hopkins and they remained friends since. Additionally, Hopkins also co-produced the Zac Brown Band's Home Grown album.
In 2006, the Zac Brown Band recorded The Foundation
The Foundation (Zac Brown Band album)
The Foundation is the first major-label studio album by the Zac Brown Band, an American country music band. It was released on November 18, 2008. Originally slated for release on the Home Grown label and Big Picture Records, the album is distributed by Atlantic Nashville in association with those...
with producer Keith Stegall. It was also in 2006 when Coy Bowles joined the band alternating on guitar and keyboards. Bowles and Brown first met in the late 1990s when they were both students at the University of West Georgia
University of West Georgia
The University of West Georgia is a comprehensive doctoral-granting university in Carrollton, Georgia, approximately 45 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia. The University is built on 645 acres including a recent land gift of 246 acres from the city of Carrollton in 2003...
, where Bowles was studying biology. Bowles also vividly remembers seeing Brown perform for the first time. He explains, "I walked into a restaurant and Zac was singing and playing guitar. I heard a couple tunes and turned to my buddy and said, 'That dude might have the richest and loudest voice I ever heard!' I don’t even think Zac had a microphone and you could hear him all across the bar.”
Bowles then transferred to Atlanta's Georgia State University
Georgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
to study music. He subsequently became involved in Atlanta's various music scenes, and eventually formed Coy Bowles and the Fellowship in 2004. Two years later, Bowles decided to reconnect with his old friend, Zac Brown. Through mutual friends, he learned that the Zac Brown Band was scheduled to perform in Atlanta one evening. Bowles and Brown spent the afternoon prior the performance reacquanting with each other, which ended with Brown inviting Bowles to sit in with the Zac Brown at that night's performance, which Bowles gladly accepted. To return the favor, Bowles invited the band to attend his own gig with the Fellowship a couple of months later, which, in turn, ended up with Brown and his band sitting in at that gig.
This trend continued for eight months until Bowles concluded that it was too overwhelming to balance his time with Brown's band and his own band and other activities, thus making a difficult decision to put the Fellowship on hiatus and become a full-time member of the Zac Brown Band, as that was what he enjoyed the most.
In 2008, the Zac Brown Band signed to Live Nation Artists Records (in association with Brown's own Home Grown label), but not before Brown asked Chris Fryar to join the band as its drummer. An Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
native, Fryar attended North Texas State University and the Mississippi University for Women
Mississippi University for Women
Mississippi University for Women, also known as MUW or simply the "W" is a four-year coeducational public university located in Columbus, Mississippi. It was formerly known as Industrial Institute and College and later Mississippi State College for Women...
and made a name for himself in the Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
music scene.
Commercial Success
The Zac Brown Band's debut single, "Chicken FriedChicken Fried
"Chicken Fried" is the title of a song which has been recorded by two different bands. The first version was recorded in 2003 by the Zac Brown Band, whose frontman Zac Brown wrote it, for the 2005 album Home Grown. A second version was then released in 2006 by The Lost Trailers, whose version was...
", was originally recorded in 2003 and included on the Home Grown album, but later re-recorded and released to country radio in 2008. This song was also recorded by The Lost Trailers
The Lost Trailers
The Lost Trailers is an American country music band. Established in 2000, the band originally comprised Ryder Lee , Manny Medina , Andrew Nielson , Stokes Nielson , and Jeff Potter...
, whose 2006 recording was released as a single but withdrawn after Brown decided that he wanted to release it himself. Brown also co-wrote "Simple Life", a song recorded by The Lost Trailers on their 2006 self-titled album
The Lost Trailers (album)
-Album:-Singles:...
.
In October 2008, Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
took over distribution of "Chicken Fried" after Live Nation Artists closed. The band's album The Foundation
The Foundation (Zac Brown Band album)
The Foundation is the first major-label studio album by the Zac Brown Band, an American country music band. It was released on November 18, 2008. Originally slated for release on the Home Grown label and Big Picture Records, the album is distributed by Atlantic Nashville in association with those...
was released under Atlantic Records' newly re-established country division in association with the Home Grown/Big Picture label on November 18, 2008. "Chicken Fried" reached #1 on the country charts in November 2008, making them the first country band to reach #1 with a debut single since Heartland did so in 2006 with "I Loved Her First
I Loved Her First (song)
"I Loved Her First" is the title of a song written by Walt Aldridge and Elliott Park, and recorded by American country music group Heartland. It was released in June 2006 as the band's debut single, it reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in late 2006.-Content:The song...
."
Clay Cook joins the Zac Brown Band and commercial success continues
In January 2009, two months after "Chicken Fried" went to Number One, Atlanta native Clay Cook joined the Zac Brown Band as its multi-instrumentalist and high harmony singer, thus completing the band's lineup. Cook had previously collaborated with John MayerJohn Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
and Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins is an American singer-songwriter who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative, and Americana music. He is best known for the 1998 single, "Lullaby", which hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.-Career:Mullins was born in...
, and was also a member of the Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...
for two years prior to joining the Zac Brown Band. According to Cook, he and Brown actually graduated from high school, but were never acquainted with each other at that time. He explains how he first met Brown, "We ran into each other (in) 2003 in a club scene in Atlanta, where I think my band opened up for his band...ever since then, we've been friendly...and I think he just thought I was a singer-songwriter for a long time; and then we were on a (music) cruise ship together...and I was playing with the Marshall Tucker Band at the time, and [Brown]'s band (also participated in the cruise)...and [Brown] actually got to see me play the guitar...and then he realized, 'I need this guy in my band,' I guess."
Brown himself admits to his strong desire to add Cook to his band. Brown explains, "He’d been playin’ with Marshall Tucker for the last four or five years, singin’ for them, helpin’ to take the weight of singin’ and playin’ guitar for them. I’d been tryin’ to get him in the band for three years, and you know, it’s been a journey, but I always knew [he could make us better]. I’m a harmony fanatic. I love big harmonies and things, and we didn’t have a high tenor, and Jimmy [De Martini], my fiddle player, sings a lot of the high stuff now, but havin’ somebody that can actually sing on top of that, we’ve added a four-part harmony now that’s searing, and the guy’s a monster player, too."
Cook also expressed his desire to leave the Marshall Tucker Band in order to join the Zac Brown Band. He explains, "The Marshall Tucker Band is a legacy act. We’re playing songs that were written 40 years ago. But they’re still doing a great job with it and they’re still entertaining crowds with it. I left mainly to be part of something from the beginning. I wanted to be an original member–in certain terms. With the Marshall Tucker Band, you couldn’t do that. They’ve been around since the early 70’s. Zac was coming on to the scene and even though I wasn’t a member of the Zac Brown Band from six or seven years ago, the public perception is that I’m part of the band from the beginning. That’s the perception even though I wasn’t there in the club days and the running around in the van days."
With the final Zac Brown Band lineup completed, the band released its second single, "Whatever It Is
Whatever It Is
"Whatever It Is" a song by the Zac Brown Band, an American country music group. It is the second single release from the 2008 album The Foundation and the band's second Top 3 hit on the Billboard country singles charts...
," which went to #2. In October 2009, a third single, "Toes
Toes (song)
"Toes" is the title of a song recorded by the Zac Brown Band, an American country music band. Lead singer Zac Brown and bass guitarist John Driskell Hopkins co-wrote the song with Shawn Mullins and Wyatt Durette...
," became the band's second Number One. The album's fourth single, and third #1, was "Highway 20 Ride
Highway 20 Ride
"Highway 20 Ride" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Zac Brown Band, written by lead singer Zac Brown and Wyatt Durette. The song was released in November 2009 as the fourth single from the band's 2009 album The Foundation. It is the band's third Number One on the U.S...
". "Free
Free (Zac Brown Band song)
"Free" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Zac Brown Band for their 2008 album The Foundation. On April 12, 2010, it was released as the fifth and final single from the album. It debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts at #54 for the week of May 1, 2010...
" was the album's fifth single and on the week of August 21, 2010, it also peaked at Number One.
Awards
Zac Brown Band received four nominations for the 2009 CMA Awards: New Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year, and Music Video of the Year for their #1 single, "Chicken Fried". that same year, they received three Grammy nominations for Best Country Album, Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals and Best New Artist. On January 31, 2010, the band won the Grammy award for Best New Artist.The group was also nominated in 2009 for three ACM awards, "Album of the Year", "Top Vocal Group", and was one of eight contenders for "Entertainer of the Year".
The Zac Brown Band lead the nominees for the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards 2011, with a total of nine nominations including: Top Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year
Collaborations and Appearances
The band is known to cover songs by their major musical influences in concert, with notable songs including Come Pick Me UpCome Pick Me Up
Come Pick Me Up is the seventh studio album by Superchunk, released in 1999. It is marked by the presence of co-producer Jim O'Rourke, a well-known figure in underground circles...
by Ryan Adams, The Devil Went Down To Georgia
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a song written and performed by the Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 album Million Mile Reflections....
by Charlie Daniels, I Shall Be Released
I Shall Be Released
"I Shall Be Released" is a 1967 song written by Bob Dylan.The Band played it on their debut album, Music from Big Pink , with Richard Manuel singing lead vocals, and Rick Danko and Levon Helm harmonizing in the chorus...
by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a song written by Canadian musician Robbie Robertson, first recorded by The Band in 1969 and released on their self-titled second album. Joan Baez' cover of the song was a top-five chart hit in late 1971....
by The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
, Blackbird
Blackbird (song)
"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles . Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Origins:...
by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Into The Mystic
Into the Mystic
"Into the Mystic" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. It was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late To Stop Now....
by Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, One Love
One Love (Bob Marley song)
"One Love/People Get Ready" is a reggae/rhythm and blues song by Bob Marley & The Wailers from their 1977 album Exodus. It was first recorded in a ska style by Marley's original group, The Wailers, on their 1965 debut album The Wailing Wailers, and a heavily reworked version was included on African...
by Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, Killing in the Name
Killing in the Name
"Killing in the Name" is a song by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, featured on their self-titled debut album, and was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992...
by Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
and Can't You See
Can't You See (The Marshall Tucker Band song)
"Can't You See" is a song written by Toy Caldwell of The Marshall Tucker Band. The song was originally recorded by the band on their 1973 debut album, The Marshall Tucker Band. It was released as a single in 1977 and peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100...
by The Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...
. On their 2010 Live benefit album Pass the Jar
Pass The Jar: Zac Brown Band and Friends Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre In Atlanta
Pass the Jar: Zac Brown Band and Friends Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre In Atlanta is the second live album by American country music band, Zac Brown Band. It was released on May 4, 2010...
, these songs were included in their setlist.
Along with recent commercial success, the band has made appearances at The Hangout Music Festival, Hullabalou Music Festival and the Bonnaroo Music Festival
Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...
in 2006, 2009, and 2010 along with an opening slot for the Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
during their 2010 Summer Tour. Also, after several years as perennial favorites on the annual The Rock Boat
The Rock Boat
The Rock Boat is an annual rock-themed "floating music festival at sea."The Rock Boat concept was born in 2001 with a joint venture from Gainesville, FL alternative rock band Sister Hazel and Atlanta, GA travel company Sixthman in a partial charter aboard the Carnival Jubilee. Sister Hazel was also...
theme-cruise, the Zac Brown Band has been elevated to hosting their own theme-cruise, Sailing Southern Ground, in September 2010.
In 2011, the Zac Brown Band and Blackberry Smoke
Blackberry Smoke
Blackberry Smoke is an American southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Charlie Starr , Richard Turner , Brit Turner , Paul Jackson , and Brandon Still ....
did a tour of sold out concerts at venues and amphitheaters including Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA.
Zac Brown Band was also a headliner at the 2010 Detroit Hoedown.
Jimmy Buffett, Duane Cahill, Aaron Carman and guitar virtuoso Tony Rice join Alan Jackson as special guests on the new Zac Brown Band album, "You Get What You Give
You Get What You Give (album)
Upon its release, You Get What You Give received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on 6 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable...
," which was released on September 21, 2010.
Zac Brown Band appeared at the Country Music Association Awards
Country Music Association Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
on Nov 10, 2010, performing As She's Walking Away
As She's Walking Away
"As She's Walking Away" is the title of a song performed by the Zac Brown Band, an American country music band. It features guest vocals from veteran country singer Alan Jackson. The song is the sixth single release by the band, and the first from its album You Get What You Give...
.
Zac Brown Band appeared as special guests for Kings of Leon at London’s Hyde Park on June 22, 23 and at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on June 26.
Zac Brown Band appeared at Ft. Stewart, Georgia and played a free concert for soldiers and family members on July 4, 2011 to a crowd of over 24,000 people.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Academy of Country Music Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the... |
Top New Artist | |
| Top New Vocal Duo or Group | |||
| CMT Music Awards CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:... |
USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year — "Chicken Fried" | ||
| Country Music Association Awards Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967... |
New Artist of the Year | ||
| Vocal Group of the Year | |||
| Single of the Year — "Chicken Fried" | |||
| Song of the Year — "Chicken Fried" | |||
| 2010 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals — "Chicken Fried" | |
| Best Country Album — The Foundation | |||
| Best New Artist | |||
| Academy of Country Music | Entertainer of the Year | ||
| Top Vocal Group of the Year | |||
| Album of the Year — The Foundation | |||
| Single Record of the Year — "Toes" | |||
| CMT Music Awards | Video of the Year – "Toes" | ||
| Group Video of the Year – "Toes" | |||
| Group Video of the Year – "Highway 20 Ride" | |||
| Country Music Association Awards | Entertainer of the Year | ||
| New Artist of the Year | |||
| 2011 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals — "Free" | |
| Best Country Album — You Get What You Give | |||
| Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — As She's Walking Away with Alan Jackson | |||
| Best Country Song — Free | |||
| Academy of Country Music Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the... |
Vocal Group of the Year | ||
| Single of the Year — "As She's Walking Away (feat. Alan Jackson)" | |||
| Song of the Year — "As She's Walking Away (feat. Alan Jackson)" | |||
| Album of the Year — You Get What You Give | |||
| Top Vocal Event of the Year — "As She's Walking Away (with Alan Jackson)" | |||
| CMT Music Awards CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:... |
Video of the Year - "Colder Weather" | ||
| Group Video of the Year - "Colder Weather" | |||
| Performance of the Year - "Margaritaville" (Performed by Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffet) | |||
| Country Music Association Awards Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967... |
Vocal Group of the Year | ||
| Single of the Year - "Colder Weather" | |||
| Song of the Year - "Colder Weather" | |||
| Album of the Year - You Get What You Give | |||
| Musical Event of the Year - "As She's Walking Away (feat Alan Jackson)" | |||
| American Music Awards American Music Awards -Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC... |
Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group | ||
| American Country Awards American Country Awards The American Country Awards is a newly created country music awards show, entirely voted on by fans. Created by the Fox Network, the awards honor country music artists in music, video, and touring categories. In addition to the CMA Awards, the ACM Awards, and the CMT Music Awards, it is the fourth... |
Artist of the Year | ||
| Duo/Group Artist of the Year | |||
| Album of the Year - You Get What You Give | |||
| Single of the Year - As She's Walking Away (feat. Alan Jackson) | |||
| Single By a Duo/Group - Colder Weather | |||
| Single By a Vocal Collaboration - As She's Walking Away (feat. Alan Jackson) | |||
| Single By a Vocal Collaboration - Knee Deep (feat. Jimmy Buffett) | |||
| Music Video by a Duo/Group/Collaboration - As She's Walking Away (feat. Alan Jackson) |
External links
- Official Site
- Zac Brown Band at Billboard.com