Indebted to the literary side of Red Dirt -- he wrote a song saluting Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadours, one of the genre's leading lights of the 2010s -- Zach Bryan is a plaintive country troubadour. He began carving out his career while still enlisted in the Navy, recording his 2019 debut album, DeAnn, during a break in his service. It, along with videos he posted online, helped him cultivate an audience that crested with the 2020 release of Elisabeth and its accompanying single "Heading South." Bryan capitalized on his burgeoning popularity with American Heartbreak, a sprawling 2022 triple album that marked his major-label debut and mainstream breakthrough: it debuted at number one on Billboard's Country Albums chart. He consolidated his success with 2023's Zach Bryan, which featured the Grammy-winning duet with Kacey Musgraves, "I Remember Everything," and 2024's The Great American Bar Scene and its hit single "Pink Skies."

A native of Oklahoma, spending time in both Oologah and Tulsa, Zach Bryan received his first guitar at the age of 14. Soon he learned how to play, then started to write songs. When he came of age, Bryan enlisted in the Navy, just like his parents before him and his father's father before that. During his spare time in the service, he wrote songs. While on leave, he spent some time relaxing at an Airbnb in Jacksonville, Florida. He and his friends spontaneously decided to record the songs that became his 2019 debut, DeAnn; he named the album after his late mother.

DeAnn earned positive buzz among Red Dirt aficionados, so Bryan decided to record a second album in the same fashion. Featuring the single "Heading South," the resulting Elisabeth appeared in 2020. The following year saw Bryan release live versions of "Hell or Highwater" and "Condemned," and make his debut at the Grand Ole Opry. "From Austin" appeared in early 2022 as the lead single to his third record, American Heartbreak, a triple album issued through Warner Records in May 2022. The release found an audience, debuting at number one on the Billboard Country chart and five on its Top 200. Bryan supported the album with an extensive tour, the final show of which was captured on the LP All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live from Red Rocks).

In January 2023, Bryan released the single "Dawns," which featured Maggie Rogers. The eponymously titled full-length Zach Bryan arrived that August, featuring appearances by Kacey Musgraves, the Lumineers, Sierra Ferrell, and the War and Treaty. Along with topping the Billboard 200, it hit number one on the Top Country, Folk, and Rock Albums charts. "Pink Skies" appeared in June 2024 as the first single from his fifth album, The Great American Bar Scene. Released digitally on July 4, the album accentuated Bryan's literary leanings and featured cameos from John Mayer and Bruce Springsteen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine