The Campfire That Sparked a Sound

Picture a Georgia lakefront, early 2000s, where Zac Brown strums a guitar by a flickering fire. He’s 23, a lanky dreamer with a beard and a voice like aged bourbon, singing John Prine covers to a handful of buddies. Music’s been his pulse—bluegrass from his dad, Buffett from the coast—but it’s this night, with friends clapping along, that plants the seed. Zac’s not chasing arenas; he’s chasing connection, a sound that fuses country, folk, and freedom. By 2002, he’s roped in a crew, and the Zac Brown Band isn’t just a gig—it’s a tribe, born from a need to share the South’s soul.

The Boys from the Backwoods: A Biography

Zac Brown, born July 31, 1978, in Atlanta, Georgia, was the 11th of 12 kids to Jim, a coach, and Bettye, a nurse. Raised in Cumming, he fished, hunted, and picked guitar by 7—self-taught, raw. College at West Georgia fizzled; music won. He’s steady now—married to Shelly since 2006, five kids (Joni, Georgia, Lucy, Alexander, Justice)—a family man with roots deep in dirt.

The band’s a brotherhood: John Driskell Hopkins (bass, vocals), joined ’04; Jimmy De Martini (fiddle), ’04; Coy Bowles (guitar, keys), ’07; Clay Cook (multi-instrumentalist), ’09; Chris Fryar (drums), ’08; Daniel de los Reyes (percussion), ’12. Shifts happen—Hopkins stepped back in 2023 for ALS—but they roll on, a revolving family tied by Zac’s vision.

The Career That Conquered Country

Zac Brown Band (ZBB) kicked off in 2002—no side acts, just this core. Self-funded Home Grown (2005) bubbled locally, but The Foundation (2008), via Atlantic, roared—“Chicken Fried” hit No. 1. Zac (vocals, guitar), Hopkins (bass), De Martini (fiddle), and crew craft a gumbo of country, jam, and roots. You Get What You Give (2010), Uncaged (2012), Jekyll + Hyde (2015) piled hits—“Toes,” “Knee Deep,” “Sweet Annie.” No other bands for Zac—he’s all in, though Clay Cook’s Marshall Tucker Band stint (pre-ZBB) adds flavor.

Tours like Great American Road Trip (2014) pack stadiums—80,000 at Fenway, a record. TV? CMT Crossroads with Jimmy Buffett (2010), The Voice mentoring (2015). Film? Zac’s in The Do-Over (2016). Pals like Buffett (duets), Dave Grohl (production) shine; a 2019 Eagles tour nod made waves. Awards: three Grammys (Uncaged, Best Country Album 2013), three CMAs, four ACMs, no Hall of Fame yet.

The Hits That Define Them

• “Chicken Fried” (2008) – Zac, Wyatt Durrette wrote this No. 1 ode to Southern life.
• “Toes” (2009) – Zac, Durrette, Hopkins, Shawn Mullins penned this No. 1 beach escape.
• “Knee Deep” (2010) – Zac, Durrette, Coy Bowles, Buffett crafted this No. 1 Buffett collab.
• “Sweet Annie” (2012) – Zac, Durrette, Bowles, Sonia Leigh’s tender No. 6 ballad.

Controversy in the Dust

ZBB’s dodged big scandals, but dust flies. In 2016, Zac’s “Heavy Is the Head” with Chris Cornell irked country purists—“Too rock!”—though it won metal fans. A 2019 arrest in Florida—cops found “suspicious” cars at his hotel, not his—cleared fast, but tabloids buzzed. Zac’s 2020 COVID stance—“Let us play!”—split fans; he masked later, saying, “Safety first.” Creative rifts hit too—The Owl (2019) pop leanings lost some diehards, though Zac stood firm: “We evolve.”

A Night of Southern Glory

Let’s drop into July 21, 2013, at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View. ZBB’s riding Uncaged, 22,000 fans packed. “Knee Deep” sways, Zac barefoot, De Martini’s fiddle soaring, when a storm rolls in—rain pelts, wind howls. Most bands bolt; Zac grins, “Y’all ready to get wet?” They rip into “Chicken Fried,” soaked, crowd dancing in mud. Lightning cracks—power holds—and “Toes” turns into a 15-minute jam, Hopkins hollering harmonies. “This is our South!” Zac yells, drenched. It’s the night ZBB owned the elements—a soggy, soulful triumph fans still toast.