Brantley Keith Gilbert is a prominent country singer, songwriter, and record producer from the United States. Brantley and a few other musicians are credited with revitalizing country music, a genre that was on the edge of extinction. Before achieving success in the music industry with his debut album, ‘Modern Day Prodigal Son,’ he began his career performing at small clubs. Average Joes Entertainment, an independent record label that primarily publishes the records of independent musicians, released his debut album. Later, ‘Big Machine Records’ assisted him by re-releasing ‘Halfway to Heaven,’ his second album. The initial edition of the album failed to reach a large audience, but the re-release helped Brantley establish renown by making the album accessible to a large number of listeners. This proved to be the breakthrough that Brantley had been seeking. Soon after its re-release, two songs from the album topped the Hot Country Songs Chart. He received the ACM New Male Artist Award in 2013 for the album. Brantley subsequently recorded two more critically and commercially successful country albums. ‘Halfway to Heaven’ and ‘Just as I Am’ are both platinum-certified albums.
Youth and Early Life
Brantley Gilbert was born in Georgia on January 20, 1985. Since his parents frequently listened to country music, he was exposed to music from a very young age. He progressively developed an appreciation for music and ultimately decided to pursue a career in music.
At the age of 13, he began to take seriously his boyhood ambition of becoming a musician. He began by penning original songs and subsequently progressed to composing music while still in school. As a result of his poor academic performance, his grades began to suffer. But nothing prevented him from devoting the majority of his time to music creation and songwriting.
After completing his high school education, he had an abrupt change of heart and decided to pursue music merely as a pastime. Afterward, he enrolled at Georgia College & State University to earn a bachelor’s degree in marital and relationship therapy. After completing his degree, he began working in Georgia for a counseling organization.
At the age of 19, he was involved in a serious accident that obliterated the majority of his memory. This ended his career as a counselor, and he suffered from depression for an extended length of time. This compelled him to concentrate on music, and he later claimed that writing songs and making music was all that was required to bring back his memories.
In an effort to be known, he subsequently began to perform at local taverns and clubs. However, after being rejected by a number of corporations, he opted to join an independent record label known as “Average Joes Entertainment.”
Brantley Gilbert’s Career
Brantley began his career as a singer by performing opening acts at various country music concerts. By the end of 2006, he had completed his debut album, titled “Modern Day Prodigal Son.” Before ‘Average Joes Entertainment’ released it in 2009, he tried for years to have his record released.
His debut album received favorable reviews from critics. However, because “Average Joes Entertainment” was an independent label, it had its own restrictions and was unable to distribute the CD widely. Therefore, the album did not receive the exposure it deserved.
However, it did reach famous country artists like Colt Ford and Jason Aldean, who were impressed by Brantley’s lyrics. They then recruited Brantley to compose the words for each of their tunes.
By the end of 2010, he had completed his second album and it was ready for release. The CD was released by the company “Average Joes Entertainment.” Again, it did not reach a large audience since the music label’s marketing strategies were subpar. Eventually, he reached an agreement with ‘Valory Music Group,’ a subsidiary of ‘Big Machine Records. His second record was subsequently reissued for a larger audience.
The album’s debut track, “Country Must Be Country Wide,” was a hit and topped the US Country Songs Billboard Charts. You don’t know her as I do, the second single, began slowly but finally reached the top five spots on the chart. At the 2012 American Country Awards, the song won the award for Single of the Year in the Breakthrough Artist of the Year category for its immense popularity.
Subsequently, another single titled “Kick it in the Sticks” was published. Although it was not as popular as his previous two singles, Brantley was praised for his songwriting abilities. Another track from the album, ‘More than Miles,’ became a hit, and Brantley went on to win the ACM New Male Artist Award in 2013.
11 tracks were included on Brantley’s third studio album, ‘Just as I am,’ which was released in May 2014. It hit number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top Country Albums chart. Brantley then proceeded on a successful tour to promote the album.
Several of the album’s tracks, including “Bottoms Up” and “Small Town Throwdown,” became significant hits. Brantley subsequently organized several nationwide concerts, including the “Blackout Tour” and the “Take It Outside Tour.”
Brantley released his fourth studio album, titled ‘The Devil Don’t Sleep’ containing sixteen tracks, in 2017. The album topped the US Country Chart, sold over a million copies, and was later certified platinum by the RIAA.
To promote the record, he went on a tour titled “The Devil Doesn’t Sleep Tour.” Critics termed the album’s gloomy themes a “welcome shift” due to its reputation for containing them. The music video for “The Weekend” was also well-received after Brantley released it.
In addition to composing his own songs, Brantley has written lyrics for his contemporaries. During the early stages of his career, it was his songwriting skills that garnered him much-needed notoriety.
His Personal Life
In 2012, it was confirmed that country music star Jana Kramer was Brantley Gilbert’s girlfriend. However, in August 2013, after a few months of engagement, they separated.
In June of 2015, he wed Georgia schoolteacher Amber Cochran. Amber and Brantley are fortunate to have a son.
Estimated Net Worth
American country music superstar Brantley Gilbert has a net worth of $15 million. Gilbert, who was born in Jefferson, Georgia in 1985, relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, and began his career as a songwriter prior to the 2009 release of his debut album, “Modern Day Prodigal Son.”