Zac Brown Charts His Songwriting Evolution

Zac Brown started honing his songwriter skills at an early age, jotting down ideas on pieces of paper while still in middle school and then graduating to a journal at the ripe old age of 17. With such chart-toppers as 'Chicken Fried,' 'Whatever It Is' and 'Toes' on his resume, it's obvious Zac learned over the years how to craft a hit song.

"Every time I had an idea, I'd write it down," Zac tells Acoustic Guitar magazine. "That's a big part of songwriting. When those ideas hit you, they're fleeting, and if you don't write them down, you won't remember them. So, I worked on the discipline of that." Now, he has another hit on the charts with his single 'Highway 20 Ride.'

Zac now writes whenever the inspiration strikes, with no structure involved. But while he's at home, it's usually after everyone goes to bed for the night. "Normally my wife goes to bed earlier than I do, and I've got a little writing studio where all my acoustic guitars are set up behind my house," he explains. "So, if I can't sleep, I'll go sit for two or three hours a night and work on bits and pieces of songs. I've got a folder with 109 songs that need little bits and pieces to be finished. you never know when a song's going to hit."

The Dahlonega, Ga., native is also a natural at playing the guitar, an instrument he recalls being surrounded by ever since he can remember, mainly because his restaurant-owning father was also a musician, having a slew of axes laying around the house. "I've been in love with guitars since I was little," exclaims Zac. "I carried a guitar to school with me every day of middle school, high school, college. I was the guy who had the guitar, playing it every chance I got -- every lunch break, after school, after football practice."

The Zac Brown Band is currently working on the follow up album to 'The Foundation.' They are about halfway through recording vocals for the upcoming project, which is expected to hit stores sometime this year.