Zac Brown’s dream

The Zac Brown Band has a new album coming out tomorrow. It’s called Uncaged and after listening to it, I like it.  But this isn’t an album review. I’ll leave that to the experts. Whether you like Zac Brown’s music or not, you have to admire what he has done with his career.  Rising from the music scene in Atlanta, the Dahlonega, Ga. native has persevered and chased his dream with a laser-like tenacity.  He (and his band mates) lived off credit cards, went hungry and I’m sure wanted to quit several times. But they didn’t.  Hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of playing, sweating, practicing, planning and dreaming finally paid off (when the song Chicken Fried roared up the charts — the first of several #1 singles). It reminds of what Malcolm Gladwell wrote about in his book Outliers — the 10,000-hour rule. Zac worked his tail off for 10,000-plus hours and now he’s an “overnight” success.  But what I really admire about him is that his band not the usual fabricated musical act. The band doesn’t look like a bunch of GQ models.  They’re not a manufactured boy band. They sing their own songs (for the most part). Zac owns his own music and everything surrounding it (giving him control of his own destiny).  And he expresses gratitude by giving back and helping other talented musicians.

He had a talent. He can sing well and play a guitar with amazing skill. But what makes him special is the drive inside of him.  And that drive is pretty well explained by these lyrics from the song “The Day that I Die” from the new album:

Cause I believe that I,
Was born with a song inside of me.
Never question why,
I just keep on singing that melody.
And as time goes by,
Oh its funny how time can make you realize,
We’re running out of it.

On the day that I die,
I wanna to say that I,
Was a man who really lived and never compromised.
I want to live out my days,
Until the very end,
I hope they find me in my home with my guitar in my hands.
I hope they find me in my home with my guitar in my hands.

Amen.

Zac, I hope your new album sells a zillion copies (which I’m sure it will) and you continue to enjoy the success you’ve worked so hard for.  And in the meantime, we all could learn from your ability to pursue (and catch) your dream.