Artist Spotlight: Zac Brown Band
We always try to introduce you to new music on 99.5 WKDQ, but we can’t put everybody on air. So, I decided to start spotlighting some of my favorite artists just for you! New artists, old artists, in between artists, I’ve got them all!
With the Zac Brown Band coming to the Ford Center on Sunday, I thought they would be the perfect group to spotlight. The band consists of Chris Fryar (drums), Clay Cook (guitar, organ, mandolin, pedal steel and vocals), Coy Bowles (guitar and organ), Daniel de los Reyes (percussion), Jimmy de Martini (violin and vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass and vocals), and of course, Zac Brown (lead vocalist and guitar).
Well, you might know that the Georgia native, Zac Brown, loves his beanies and cooking, but do you know why? Cooking isn’t just a hobby for Zac. He actually owned his own restaurant before starting this band. He always dreamed of having a career in music, but never thought it was realistic. The turning point was the September 11th tragedy when Zac took a step back and realized life was too short to do something he didn’t love. In 2002, he formed the Zac Brown Band, they started their own label a year later, and in 2004, he sold his restaurant in Lake Oconee, GA to buy a tour bus. From that point forward, this band started touring full-time, hitting venues and festivals, and haven’t stopped yet!
Their big break came in 2008 when the album "The Foundation" was released. Besides peaking on the Billboard Hot Country chart, the album was also certified two times platinum. In 2009, the 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 "Chicken Fried" and Grammy nominations for Best Country Album, Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best New Artist. In 2010, they won the Grammy award for Best New Artist.
Cooking might not have been Zac’s dream job, but it’s definitely not something he has given up on! Not only does this band have an “Eat & Greet”, they’ve also got an entire cooking section on their website! There’s also a lot of perks to joining their Zamily. Being a Zamily member gives you chances at those Eat & Greets, along with presales and other exclusive access. Don’t want to become a member? No prob! You still stay up to date with the guys through Facebook and Twitter.
You can check out the video for their latest single "Sweet Annie" below and make sure to grab your tickets for Dec. 29!
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