Brantley Gilbert’s ‘Prodigal Son’ Saves a Life

Brantley Gilbert is fast becoming one of the most renowned songwriters in country music. The tunesmith already has several hits to his credit, including Jason Aldean's 'Dirt Road Anthem' and 'My Kinda Party.' But the Georgia native, who is enjoying his own blossoming career as a country artist, counts the title track of his debut CD, 'A Modern Day Prodigal Son,' as one of the most life-changing songs of his career, thanks to an e-mail from a fan who was permanently impacted by the tune.

"It was about this guy who told me he was gonna commit suicide and listened to 'Prodigal Son,' put the gun down, got in his truck and went to his mama's house," Brantley tells GAC. "And like a total 360 [he's] doing great now." The fortuitous e-mail, which came on what Brantley describes as "one of the worst days" of his own life, quickly put his own problems into perspective.

"[It made] all my problems seem way, way, way smaller than what I thought they were," he notes.

The singer-songwriter has a brush with death to thank for his own musical path as well. A serious car accident he was involved in at 19 proved a pivotal moment in helping him determine his future career.

"When I had my wreck, it really just put everything into perspective and really opened my eyes," he tells The Boot. "I've always been one of those guys that thought 'it will never happen to me.' After that, everything really flipped on me. When I realized that it could, I wanted to do what made me the happiest with the time I had. I didn't know how long I had anymore. It put everything into perspective and kind of motivated me."

Brantley recently wrapped up traveling on Willie Nelson's Country Throwdown tour and has now embarked on his own shows, with stops in Kentucky and Illinois this weekend. Keep track of his concert schedule here.