• March 23, 1986
• Brett Eldredge grew up listening to records from Ray Charles, Ronnie Dunn, Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra. From very early on, music was a part of his life. "There's a video of me singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" in the living room with a Chicago Cubs helmet on; we're huge Cubs fans," he told The Boot. "In it, you can see that I could actually carry a tune at the young age of four."
  
  "My family started to have me sing the National Anthem at family parties. I'd get real nervous, and then someone would give me a candy bar or $5, and I'd sing," he added. "My body would shake. They'd call it the man voice, because I had this older voice coming out of a kid's body."
• Eldredge only became proficient with the guitar once he moved to Nashville after college. "It took me a while to finally get a hold of the guitar, but once I did I was hooked," he said. "I think being a student of singers works to my advantage, because it taught me how to phrase things. I had melodies all over the place in my head."
• Eldredge's debut album, Bring You Back, was released in 2013 on Atlantic Nashville. The record spawned three #1 country singles, including the Hot 100 Top 40 hit "Don't Ya."
• He was named the CMA Awards New Artist of the Year in 2014.
• On Eldredge's tour bus there's a drawer full of wigs. He makes his visitors wear one.
• Brett Elderidge is a cousin of Terry Eldredge, who was once of the mainstays of Dolly Parton's band and since 2004 has been a member of seminal bluegrass outfit the Grascals.
• Brett Eldredge has suffered from panic attacks since he was a child. He told ABC's Dan Harris on his 10 Percent Happier podcast, how for a long time he didn't understand what was happening. "In college, I remember times where I would go to a party and I would be breaking into sweats and, like, just drenched, and I'd just [think], 'Is something wrong with me?'" he recalled.
  
  Eldredge learned to deal with the crippling attacks by spending time on meditation. In the summer of 2016, he adopted a dog named Edgar Boogie, a Weimaraner/Vizsla mix who helped with his healing journey.

Comments

More Songfacts:

I Shot The SheriffBob Marley & the Wailers

Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" deals with police brutality in the Trenchtown section of Jamaica, where he grew up. He felt that police assumed young men in the area were all criminals.

Soul Bossa NovaQuincy Jones

The Austin Powers theme is "Soul Bossa Nova," written by Quincy Jones in 1962 - the same year the first James Bond movie was released.

London CallingThe Clash

"London Calling" by The Clash was written amid widespread fears that the Thames River was going to flood the city.

...Baby One More TimeBritney Spears

"Baby One More Time," the breakout song for Britney Spears, was originally offered to TLC but they passed on it. The R&B trio didn't feel comfortable singing the line, "hit me baby one more time."

ShoutThe Isley Brothers

Otis Day And The Knights, the fictional band created to perform "Shout" in the movie Animal House, became a real band, performing the song at colleges and other venues.

LightsEllie Goulding

Ellie Goulding's hit song "Lights" is about her fear of the dark, which forces the singer to sleep with the lights on.

Editor's Picks

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.