Brantley Gilbert is a country artist who embraces the outlaw
country side of things -- in many ways his music channels the heartland
sentiments of artists like John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, and
perhaps most apt, Steve Earle.
Brantley Gilbert was born in the small town of Jefferson, GA, just
outside of Athens. He grew up hearing country music, but he also heard a
lot of Athens rock bands like R.E.M. and the B-52's and the swaggered
Southern rock of bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd -- at his best, Gilbert
blends all of these various strains together in his music.
It was a near-fatal car accident when he was 19 years old that
spurred Gilbert to give music his all, and he started writing songs in
earnest, playing mostly solo acoustic gigs before forming a band that
could bring his vision of a hard-stomping country/rock/soul show to
fruition.
Moving to Nashville, he signed with Warner Chappell Publishing (his
songs have been recorded by the likes of Jason Aldean and Colt Ford) and
began working toward completing an album. Modern Day Prodigal Son
was released in 2009, followed by Halfway to Heaven in 2010.
