Zac Brown Band

Did You Know?

• The band has supported Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit that restores music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools, by donating items for auction.
• On January 16, 2013, Zac Brown, Clay Cook, and David Ryan Harris played a benefit with John Mayer for firefighters and residents of Pine Creek in Park County, Montana, after a fire destroyed five homes.
• Brown opened a music club and restaurant called Zac's Place in the Lake Oconee area of Georgia in 2004.

History

In 2002, Zac Brown was touring heavily, performing around 200 dates a year, with an initial lineup that included drummer Marcus Petruska and bass guitarist Jacob Lawson. Brown founded his own label, Home Grown, in 2003, later renamed Southern Ground. The following year, he opened a music club and restaurant called Zac's Place in the Lake Oconee area of Georgia, which was later sold to a developer, allowing the band to buy a tour bus and tour full-time.

That same year, the band released its first independent album, Home Grown, and added violinist and tenor vocalist Jimmy De Martini to the lineup. De Martini was recommended by Wyatt Durrette, Brown's frequent songwriting collaborator, who was working as a bartender at Sidelines Sports Bar in Kennesaw, Georgia, where the band often performed. Brown met John Driskell Hopkins in 1998 when Hopkins hosted an open mic night at CJ's Landing in Buckhead, Georgia.

Hopkins later recorded Home Grown in his studio, Brighter Shade Studios, and in 2005 he joined the band as bass guitarist, helping finish the number-one single 'Toes'.

Collaborations and appearances

The Zac Brown Band has performed at several music festivals, including the Hangout Music Festival, Hullabalou Music Festival, and Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2006, 2009, and 2010, and opened for the Dave Matthews Band during their 2010 Summer Tour. They began hosting their own theme cruise, Sailing Southern Ground, in September 2010. In fall 2009, the band started offering fan-club members VIP Eat & Greet experiences before tour appearances. In 2011, they toured with Blackberry Smoke at venues including the Hollywood Bowl.

The band headlined the 2013 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California, and sold out three consecutive nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in May 2013. On September 6, 2013, Zac Brown performed with The String Cheese Incident as the Zac Brown Incident at the Lockin' Festival in Arrington, Virginia. At the 2013 CMA Awards, the band debuted 'Day for the Dead' with Dave Grohl on drums, and Grohl later revealed he produced the band's new EP. In January 2014, they released a live version of 'Free' transitioning into 'Into the Mystic', featuring Clare Bowen, ahead of an appearance on the TV show Nashville.

Brown formed a side project, Sir Rosevelt, in 2016, which released an album in December 2017. The band re-recorded 'From Now On' from The Greatest Showman for a compilation album released in November 2018. Brown performed 'Colder Weather' at the 2019 Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum Concert and Induction Ceremony. The band performed at the UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14, 2026.

Tours

The Zac Brown Band has conducted numerous tours, including the Uncaged Tour (2012–13), The Great American Road Trip Tour (2014), the Jekyll + Hyde Tour (2015), the Black Out The Sun Tour (2016), the Welcome Home Tour (2017), Down the Rabbit Hole Live (2018–19), The Owl Tour (2019), The Comeback Tour (2021), Out In The Middle Tour (2022), From the Fire Tour (2023), and the Love and Fear Tour (2026). The Jekyll + Hyde Tour, in support of their fourth studio album, began on May 1, 2015, in Nashville, Tennessee, and ended on December 11 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

It was the sixteenth-ranked tour of 2015, grossing $45.2 million. Nine shows took place at baseball parks, including Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, and a London date was added in May 2015. One dollar from each ticket sold went to Brown's Camp Southern Ground. Shows lasted two and a half hours, with a three-story tier stage and LED screens.

The band played twenty-six numbers, including tracks from Jekyll + Hyde, past favorites, and covers of songs by Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Metallica. The show incorporated country, EDM, rock, and pop elements. The kickoff show in Nashville featured guest appearances from Jewel, Kid Rock, Béla Fleck, and Drake White.

Awards

Since 2009, the Zac Brown Band has received 55 award nominations from the Grammys, Academy of Country Music, American Music Awards, Country Music Association, and Country Music Television, winning 8. In 2009, they earned four CMA Award nominations: New Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year, and Music Video of the Year for 'Chicken Fried'. That year they also 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 for Best New Artist, becoming the only country group to win that award. In 2009, they were nominated for three ACM awards: Album of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year. The band led the nominees for the 46th Academy of Country Music Awards in 2011 with nine nominations, including Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Vocal Event of the Year.