Zac Brown Band
After an eventful year on the charts and on the road, GRAMMY-Award winningZac Brown Band has proven that "overnight success" can be years in the making.New fans drawn by the irresistible hit singles, the awe-inspiring musicianshipand dynamic live shows might have thought the Zac Brown Band emerged fromnowhere. In fact, the band has paid its dues for years and put in its time for justthis moment, it may have happened quickly, but it's definitely built to last.Zac Brown Band's second major label studio album 'You Get What You Give'(Atlantic/Southern Ground Artists, Inc.) was released on September 21st anddebuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and Country Albums charts. The albumfeatures guest appearances by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett. As Zacexplained to Associated Press, "It's a defining record...Every step of it's done theright way and I expect people are really going to love this record and see thedepth of our musicianship, we're always growing. Not that we've arrived at anygrand finale or anything, but the progress from this last record to this one, it'stremendous and I'm proud of it."On the eve of the release from the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Zac BrownBand streamed their live show - dubbed "Best. Concert. Ever." (Cleveland PlainDealer) - to fans everywhere via ZacBrownBand.com powered by Ustream.Touting nearly a half-million live views, the concert was among the most-viewedon Ustream. The band also recently received five CMA Awards nominationsincluding "Entertainer of the Year." Previous honors and accolades include theirGRAMMY win for "Best New Artist," "Top New Vocal Group" from the Academy ofCountry Music Awards and "Breakthrough Video of the Year" from CMT and USAWeekend.No question, the past year has been dizzying for the hardworking act. Theband's first major label release, 'The Foundation' was one of Billboard's Top 20albums of 2009, and was the first major label debut album in 18 years to yieldfive No. 1s including "Chicken Fried" and "Free." Released on November 18,2008 on Atlantic Records, 'The Foundation' debuted at #17 on the Billboard Top200 Chart and #3 on the Top Country Albums Chart. It's now certified doubleplatinum by the RIAA, which Brown says, "solidifies an achievement that hasbeen more than a decade in the making.""There's no way to predict how fast everything is going to come together," addsthe down-to-earth Georgian. "Or that it took 13 years to get to the beginning ofit."In 2009 and 2010 Zac Brown Band successfully headlined the Breaking GroundTour. "For us to come into our own, we had to make it happen as a headliner,"notes the Dahlonega, Ga.-raised Brown. There's no question that the road-tested band had the chops to pull it off. In addition to bassist John Hopkins,violinist Jimmy De Martini, guitarist/organist Coy Bowles and drummer ChrisFryar, this year the band has added multi-instrumentalist and songwriter ClayCook, well respected as a musician's musician and an MVP-caliber performeron the Georgia music scene. Cook, perhaps best known for his co-writes withGrammy-winner (and former Lo-Fi Masters bandmate) John Mayer, rounds outthe ZBB sound on guitar, vocals, organ, mandolin and pedal steel."We've got a great following," Brown affirms. And while the band stronglyidentifies with country music and country radio and, of course, continues to havegreat success there, it's not an easily pigeonholed crowd; while loyal countryfans show up in droves, the band also appeals to lovers of bluegrass, jam bands,reggae and seemingly everyone in between. It's no wonder that another famousgenre-hopper, Michigan's Kid Rock, has performed with the band and given themhis strong endorsement. Zac Brown Band also shared the bill for several DaveMatthews Band dates on their summer 2010 stadium tour, including NYC's CitiField.In fact, the Zac Brown Band's rehearsal space provides strong clues that the unitputs no artificial limits on itself. While one wall sports a whiteboard chock fullof upcoming coast-to-coast tour dates, the other is graffitied with hundreds ofsong titles-sharing space on a wall that also includes a Bob Marley banner anda framed portrait of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. "Everything has to dowith the song," Brown observes. "Every song is born and wants to go its owndirection. When audiences hear a new song for the first time, if at the end of itthey're going crazy and cheering, you know you've pulled it off."Brown launched his Southern Ground record label in 2009 and signed Atlantabased artists Sonia Leigh, Levi Lowrey and Nic Cowan. In addition to the music,Brown also is launching a line of steak rubs and barbecue sauces under theSouthern Ground label, and-in partnership with photographer Jeffrey Skillingsand writer/bandmate Coy Bowles-is preparing the release of his first cookbook.As Brown notes, these projects have their roots in Zac's Place, a lakesiderestaurant he used to co-own and run. "For me it's about creating somethingthat's really excellent," he says. "People are going to be blown away by howgood the products are."As if all this weren't enough, Brown is developing a charitable foundation torun a children's camp, which recently began clearing land for its planned site.Despite all the irons in the fire, Brown nonetheless calls his foundation and camp plans his "life's work." "Having the camp and giving back is important for me," hesays. "I'm very blessed to have what I have, and I know a lot of that's on creditfor what I do down the road. It's very important for me to keep that in mind. Iwant to leave something behind that does some good after I'm gone."While Brown focuses on doing good, his audiences will continue to focus onfeeling good, as the band builds upon its grassroots following with mediaexposure and gigs in larger venues, such as the recent high-profile gig at theBonnaroo festival that Brown calls "electric" in both the performance and theresponse. (Performances on the late-night television circuit-David Letterman,Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Kimmel and cover features onAmerican Songwriter and Billboard - have only accelerated the momentum.)And while audiences party, they'll be doing well to keep up with the musiciansonstage. "We laugh all the time," Brown notes. "You're either sleeping or uplaughing and having a good time. Or we're playing music. It's better than Icould have dreamed of."Zac Brown Band is:Zac Brown / Lead Vocals & GuitarJimmy De Martini / Violin, VocalsJohn Driskell Hopkins / Bass, VocalsCoy Bowles / Guitar, OrganClay Cook / Guitar, Organ, Mandolin, Pedal Steel, VocalsChris Fryar / Drums
