At 27, Jacob Bryant has lived through more than men twice his age. Hidden behind his blue eyes and charming smile lies a past of addiction, death, and divorce that have fueled his songwriting and pushed him to track some of his most popular biographical anthems including “Save My Soul,” “This Side of Sober,” “Too Late to Turn Around,” “Country Went to Hell,” and “Up In Flames.” The Jasper, Ga., native performs with the vigor of a seasoned road dog and delivers a show that combines the storytelling of country music with the passion of rock.
“It’s Country Music done my way,” says Bryant.
His 2016 EP Up In Smoke debuted at #7 on ITunes Country Chart and the video for the single A Woman’s Touch, debuted at number one on CMT’s 12 pack countdown – and stayed in the top 5 for 19 weeks! It’s hard to imagine the up-and-comer with such rich vocals once failed middle school chorus being he was too shy to sing in front of people.
Bryant grew up in the mountains of north Georgia where he started on the indigenous stylings of his family’s Bluegrass band. “I was 8 when I first started playing guitar, “he explains. “I listened to Bluegrass music over and over again while strumming my Martin. I love Flat Lonesome and Mountain Heart.” As he got older, Jacob started playing in church where he served as leader of the youth group. The singer/songwriter continued to hone his craft and took his show on the road after graduating from high school, but It was New Year’s Day 2010 when his life changed forever. “My Mom had taken a nap and didn’t wake up. I was on my way to Nashville when I got the call and my whole world fell apart.” Bryant began a downhill spiral in the throes of addiction. “I had trouble dealing with my mother’s death, and it took me looking in the mirror and realizing I wasn’t happy with the person looking back at me to turn things around. I was able, with help, to completely quit drinking for a long time and to get control of my life. My mother would have wanted me to continue on with my music; it was her dream. I kind of made her dream my dream,” shares Bryant. He turned to songwriting to process his grief and wrote “Sometimes I Pray” as tribute to his mother and later tracked a song that depicted his battle with demons in “This Side Of Sober.” “I love playing that song live. The fans always sing it back to me. It’s the one that changed my life,” says Bryant. He continues to write on his own and with pals; penning a tune with fellow country newcomer Luke Combs called “Out There.” “I also wrote a song with my good buddy, Jon Lawhon, of the rock band Blackstone Cherry. Jon told me they were going to cut a version of “Save My Soul” which is so cool. It’s one of my favorites.”
February 2019 marked the debut of his first full length album after releasing 5 Ep's. The album was number one on the Itunes Country Chart and the first single, "Pour Whiskey On My Grave" has been described by one writer as " like a dream collaboration between Eric Church, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Brantley Gilbert". "I'm really proud of the new record" says Bryant. "We recorded a couple of my most requested songs from our live show along with a number of new songs”. Look for Jacob on the road at a venue near you this year. To find out more about Jacob's music and tour schedule visit his website at www.jacobbryantmusic.com or his facebook site www.facebook.com/JacobBryantFans.