Once upon a time, Brantley Gilbert was a hell-raising youth with a passion for music. He was however forced to re-examine his life after he nearly died in a horrible car accident. These days, Gilbert is one of the most popular country musicians in America and has dropped several chart-topping singles and albums. The singer-songwriter has also gained millions of fans with his brand of outlaw country.

Brantley Keith Gilbert was born on the 20th of January 1985 in Jefferson, Georgia. He hails from a family of four; his father’s name is Keith Gilbert while his mother’s name is Becky. The singer has a brother named Kolby and spent his formative years in Jefferson. He grew up listening to country music and was also introduced to rock music at an early age. Therefore, Gilbert developed a passion for both genres.

The Country Music Singer Started Writing And Composing Songs When He Was 13

Falling in love with artists such as R.E.M, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and The B-52’s, Brantley Gilbert’s music career has been traced to his teens when he began writing and composing songs.

But despite his passion for music, he did not abandon his studies. After high school, he attended Georgia College and State University where he studied Counselling. He also worked as a counsellor at an elementary school in Georgia.

Brantley Gilbert was forced to seek a serious solace in music after he was involved in a car accident at the age of 19. The accident was somehow his fault as he was driving drunk. Fortunately, he escaped with his life but sustained some serious injuries, including memory loss. This stalled his academic pursuits and the one thing that got him through this period was writing songs.

He Got His Big Break After He Re-released His Second Album In 2011

After making a full recovery, Gilbert moved to Nashville where he signed a career deal with Warner Chappell Publishing. He penned lyrics for other country artists including Jason Aldean and Colt Ford. He also used his spare time to work on his album and perform at local venues. All of Gilbert’s hard work paid off in the year 2009 when he released his first full-length album, Modern Day Prodigal Son. His second album, Halfway to Heaven, dropped in 2010 and chronicled his near-death experience.

Gilbert’s first two albums only enjoyed mild success but he did not despair. He rather changed record labels and reissued his second album, Halfway to Heaven, in the year 2011. Halfway to Heaven was a smash hit this time around. Two of the singles, “Country Must Be Country Wide” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do” topped the country charts and were later certified platinum.

Since this major breakthrough, Brantley Gilbert has not looked back. He has dropped other successful albums such as Just as I Am (2014), The Devil Don’t Sleep (2017), and Fire & Brimstone (2019). These albums have spurned several hit singles, including “Bottoms Up”, “Small Town Throwdown”, “One Hell of an Amen” and “Stone Cold Sober”.

Brantley Gilbert Has Won Several Country Music Awards and Being a Musician Accounts For His $15M Net Worth

The country music artist has so far dropped five studio albums; two of which have been certified gold and one, platinum (Just As I Am). This means he has sold multiple millions of records. In fact, most of his $15 million net worth has been attributed to album sales and proceeds from his tours and concerts.

Brantley Gilbert has received several awards in the course of his career. They include Breakthrough Artist Single of The Year at the 2012 American Country Awards, Top Male Artist at the 2013 American Country Music Awards, and the Renegade Award at the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards.

He has also received CRS’ New Faces Award and bagged Country Music Association’s Triple Play Award, among others.

The Singer Was Once Engaged to Actress Jana Kramer

An American country musician and actress, Jane is probably popularly known for playing Alex Dupre on the television series, One Tree Hill. It emerged in September 2012 that Jana and Brantley were an item. As the story goes, the two met in June of that year at the CMT Music Awards. Things went pretty fast for them and they got engaged on Gilbert’s 28th birthday which was on the 20th of January 2013.

But as fate would have it, the two never got to walk down the aisle. It was reported that the actress called off the engagement in August 2013.

The exact reason why they parted remains unknown but it was said that it revolved around their busy schedules. They had both been touring and focused on their respective career engagements which ultimately estranged them from each other.

Jana would move on and get married to Mike Caussin, a former American football tight end in 2015, the same year, Brantley started his family life with Amber Cochran.

Brantley Gilbert Is Now Married To A School Teacher

The country singer is married to his one true love, Amber Cochran. Cochran is also a native of Georgia and is a school teacher by profession. The couple tied the knot in June 2015 in a small ceremony in Gilbert’s hometown of Jefferson. The guest list featured people they have known all their lives.

Even though Gilbert and Amber only got engaged in 2014 and tied the knot in 2015, their love story dates back to 2005. Yeah, that was the year the singer first met Amber in a church. They were quite taken to each other and thus commenced a relationship. Their romance was however turbulent as they dated on and off for the next five years before finally calling it quits in 2010.

The destined lovers however reconnected sometime in 2013 or 2014 and have been together ever since. The couple welcomed their first child together, a son named Barrett Hardy-Clay on the 11th of November 2017. He now has a sister named Braylen Hendrix Gilbert; she was born on the 9th of September 2019.

Gilbert has disclosed that his wife is the inspiration behind some of his songs.