From Chicken Fried to Bohemian Rhapsody!
In 2005, the Zac Brown Band self-released an album called Home Grown. This is where we find the first version of the band’s signature song, Chicken Fried. However, without the backing of a major label, the tune had little success.
Another band, The Lost Trailers, recorded their version in 2006 on the agreement that they wouldn’t release it as a single. After The Lost Trailers’ label decided to do so anyway and it became a hit, Zac forced the label to withdraw it.
When Zac finally landed a major label deal himself, he released Chicken Fried as a single and scored a #1 with 5 million copies sold in the U.S.
The album it came with, The Foundation (2008), also contained another three #1 singles Toes, Free, and Highway 20 Ride. Sales for these singles weren’t bad either; Toes sold over 3 million, and the album sold 3.4 million copies.
The major label follow-up, You Get What You Give, came in 2010 and also did well. Four #1 singles can be found here: As She’s Walking Away, Colder Weather, Knee Deep, and Keep Me In Mind.
The third album, Uncaged (2012), was another #1, although sales were more modest, reaching just above a million copies for the album. Two #1 singles in Goodbye in Her Eyes and Sweet Annie. Jump Right In reached #2.
For the next release, Jekyll + Hyde, the band switched labels from Atlantic to a joint three-label release in 2015. Even though sales were down way below a million now, this was still a #1 album.
Singles Homegrown, Heavy Is the Head (featuring Chris Cornell), Loving You Easy, and Beautiful Drug all reached #1.
In 2017, they switched labels again, now to Elektra, and released Welcome Home. With sales down to less than half a million, it was still a #1 album. No singles charted high from this release.
For the 2019 release of The Owl, it’s the same story; new label, fewer sales, no big tunes, but the album is still a #1. In fact, all albums since The Foundation has gone #1 for the Zac Brown Band.
It is only the release of the last studio album, The Comeback (2021), that didn’t clinch the top spot. Although here we get a #1 single instead with the tune Same Boat. The Comeback was, of course, released on a new label.
As we all waited in anticipation for what Zac Brown’s next new label and #1 would be, my guess was that it would have something to do with chickens, but I was wrong.
In 2023 Zac Brown Band released a Queen cover of Bohemian Rhapsody, as surprising as this may sound, the band is no stranger to playing covers having also performed Into The Mystic, Let’s Go Crazy, Piano Man, Kashmir, and The Devil Went Down To Georgia.
Zac Brown Band Tunes | Related Pages
Chicken Fried
You can learn to play Chicken Fried by the Zac Brown band using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G | G | D | D |
You know I like my chicken fried, a cold beer on a Friday night…
The Devil Went Down To Georgia
Learn to play The Devil Went Down To Georgia by Charlie Daniels Band using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Dm (hold) | Dm (hold) |
The devil went down to Georgia, he was lookin’ for a soul to steal…
Into The Mystic
You can learn to play Into The Mystic by Van Morrison using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
We were born before the wind. Also younger than the sun…
Zac Brown Band on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was an article about Zac Brown Band tunes, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.