Brantley Gilbert on country music blurring genre lines as it continues to evolve

Discovering the truth about mainstream, seven-time chart-topping veteran country music performer Brantley Gilbert creates a polarizing moment.

On the one hand, he’s a proud gun-toting Georgia redneck covered in tattoos and “not giving a f**k about a whole lot,” he tells The Tennessean at a Music Row soundstage. He’s also the lead vocalist for a 2021 collaboration with HARDY and Toby Keith entitled “The Worst Country Song Of All Time.”

As well he’s a performer who, alongside fellow Georgia native Jason Aldean is responsible for selling an equivalent number of singles to albums sold by rock acts Creed and Nickelback in the past quarter-century.

Between these notions lies a recovering alcoholic, husband and father of two who feels it necessary always to name-drop his faith in his album titles.

“I have a die-hard grass-roots fanbase that likes having something based on things on which they consistently agree,” Gilbert says about that decision. He continues with an intelligent point identifying his demographics.