Zac Brown
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Zachry Alexander Brown (born July 31, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and co-founder and lead singer of the country–rock
Zac Brown Band Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini ( fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukulel ...
, as well as electronic dance music group
Sir Rosevelt Sir Rosevelt was an American electronic dance music group consisting of Zac Brown, Niko Moon, and Ben Simonetti. The group, formed in 2016, has released one album for Elektra Records. History Zac Brown, lead singer of Zac Brown Band, first annou ...
. In 2019, Brown released a pop
surprise album A surprise album or surprise release refers to the release of an album with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the f ...
titled ''The Controversy''.


Early life

Brown was raised on
Lake Lanier Lake Lanier (officially Lake Sidney Lanier) is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee Ri ...
by his mother, Bettye, and stepfather Dr. Jody Moses, a dentist in
Cumming, Georgia Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States, and the sole incorporated area in the county. It is a suburban city, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In the 2020 census, the population is 7,318, up from 5,430 in 2010. Su ...
. The eleventh of twelve children, Brown attended Mashburn Elementary School in Cumming;
Lakeview Academy Lakeview Academy is a coeducational, private, college-preparatory school in Gainesville, Georgia, United States, for students from preschool through grade twelve. It opened during the period of desegregation of public schools in Gainesville. D ...
in
Gainesville, Georgia The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...
; and South Forsyth High School in Cumming. He later moved to
Dahlonega, Georgia The city of Dahlonega () is the county seat of Lumpkin County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,242, and in 2018 the population was estimated to be 6,884. Dahlonega is located at the north end of ...
, at age 17, where he graduated from
Lumpkin County High School Lumpkin County School District is a public school district in Lumpkin County, Georgia, United States, based in Dahlonega. It serves the communities of Auraria and Dahlonega. Schools The Lumpkin County School District has three elementary sc ...
. Brown was given his mother's guitar at age 8, and one of his stepfather's patients was enlisted to teach him classical guitar. He completed two years of lessons, but soon after developed a love for
bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ...
while playing with his father and brother on weekend visits. In his mid-teens, Brown spent almost a year being tutored by a vocal coach from his church While still in high school, with
James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
as his inspiration, Brown began playing solo gigs in local venues, performing country and pop
cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...
songs. Brown attended the
University of West Georgia The University of West Georgia is a public university in Carrollton, Georgia. The university offers a satellite campus in Newnan, Georgia, select classes at its Douglasville Center, and off-campus Museum Studies classes at the Atlanta History Ce ...
, where he became a member of the Zeta Kappa chapter of the
Kappa Alpha Order Kappa Alpha Order (), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington and Lee University, Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) i ...
fraternity. He was also a camp counselor at Camp Mikell in
Toccoa, Georgia Toccoa is a city in far Northeast Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia near the border with South Carolina. It is the county seat of Stephens County, Georgia, Stephens County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, located about from Athens, Geo ...
, and Camp Glisson, a United Methodist summer camp and retreat center located in Dahlonega. Brown later founded Camp Southern Ground, a 501c3 non-profit camp in
Fayetteville, Georgia Fayetteville is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957, up from 15,945 at the 2010 census. Fayetteville is located south of downtown Atlanta. In 2015 ...
.


Other ventures

In 2017, Brown made an investment into the Stillhouse Creek Distillery in
Lumpkin County Lumpkin County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,488. Its county seat is Dahlonega. History This area was settled by the Cherokee, who also occupied a ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, which was later rebranded the Z. Brown Distillery. The distillery closed down on November 18, 2018. Brown appeared in a 2016 episode of ''
Treehouse Masters ''Treehouse Masters'' is an American reality television series that aired on Animal Planet and starred Pete Nelson, a master treehouse builder and owner of Nelson Treehouse and Supply. Each episode, Nelson and his team design and build custom tre ...
'' on
Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily dev ...
. In 2019, Brown appeared on the Lil Dicky charity single "Earth". Brown founded Southern Grind Knives, a knife company based out of
Peachtree City, Georgia Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 34,364. Peachtree City is located in South Metro Atlanta. Peachtree City is noted for its extensive use o ...
. The company specializes in hard-use tactical knives.


Personal life

In 2016, Brown was involved in an early morning drug bust at the
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Four Seasons Hotels Limited, trading as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, is an international luxury hotel and resort company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Four Seasons currently operates more than 100 hotels and resorts worldwide.Da ...
in
Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...
. Although Brown was not arrested, police arrested four other individuals for
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
and
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
, and found Brown in possession of prescription pills. Reports stated that there were three strippers in the room at the time of the arrests. Reports also state that the Palm Beach Police Officers did not name Brown in their report because they were fans of his music. Brown later apologized saying that he was, "at the wrong place at the wrong time." In 2018, Brown and his wife Shelly ended their 12-year marriage. They have four daughters and a son.


Discography

* ''The Controversy'' (2019)


Album appearances


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Zac 1978 births 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers American country banjoists American country guitarists American country record producers American country singer-songwriters American male guitarists American male songwriters American rock guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters Country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) Living people People from Cumming, Georgia People from Dahlonega, Georgia Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state) University of West Georgia alumni Zac Brown Band members Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) United Service Organizations entertainers