Gary Bennett was the co-frontman/Lead singer and a founding member of one of the most successful country music bands
of the 1990's, BR549. During Gary's tenure the group received three Grammy nominations
and was hailed by music industry trade magazine Billboard as having "single-handedly
revived the soul of country music in Nashville". The band sold over 500,000 albums
and toured the world, headlining shows as well as being invited to open shows and tours for acts like Bob Dylan, George Jones, Merle Haggard, the Black Crowes and Brian Setzer.
After five major album releases and years of constant world wide touring, Gary felt as though the musical freedom BR549 once enjoyed had become stagnant due to the "retro" pin tagged to them. Wanting to make original & more progressive music, Bennett made a decision in to step away from the group and let his head clear. Gary left BR549 in 2002 and retreated from music for a short while, only to return to writing and performing.
"Getting back in touch with real people in the real world gave me the inspiration to start writing again," he says. A series of personal tragedies in 2004 helped reinforce that desire. "I know that music was given to us to smooth the rough, bumpy road of life," he states. "I believe that whether I'm walking down the sidewalk or on a stage, my purpose is to try to help people. Songwriting is what I have been given to achieve that."
In 2006 he released a critically acclaimed solo record, "Human Condition", and went on tour to support the record's release. Human Condition presented 12 new recordings, most of which were written by Bennett, including one co-written with Todd Snider ("Better Than This"). "That song began - as most of mine do - as an instrumental that we used to call 'The Swamp Song' because of its feel," says Bennett. "Several years ago, I happened to catch a Todd Snider performance on TV and liked his rhythmic wording and stream of consciousness approach to writing. Shortly thereafter, we got the chance to write together and I played him this song. 'Better Than This' is about finding out what's over the next hill. When I started to write the lyrics, I was reminded of the little town that I grew up in Washington that was next to a mountain. At night, it revealed the glow of lights in the distance, which was the city of Portland, Oregon. As it turned out, Todd was growing up in Portland at the same time I was in Washington, so he could relate to what I was seeing."
Bennett's career as a solo artist was very well received by critics and fans alike, many of the opinion that he had never sounded better. In late 2006 he released a live concert DVD and short documentary film.
"Inside
and Out" focuses on Bennett's departure from music in 2001 and his
return as a solo artist earlier this year. The DVD is split up into two parts.
"Live in
Nashville" showcases Gary's new songs as well as a few old ones in
a live setting with a strong backing band including: Jimmy Lester (Los Strait Jackets, Webb Wilder), Milan Miller (Jubal Foster, The Wrights),
and Mark Winchester (Brian Setzer, Emmylou Harris). The show was taped in Nashville in front of an audience
of Bennett's diehard fans who were treated to an amazing performance and also
a surprise toward the end of the show when Donnie Herron (BR549, Bob Dylan)
joined Gary on stage for the first time in five years.
"The Making
of Human Condition" is a short documentary which includes footage from
the recording sessions that took place in 2005. Interviews, never before seen
BR549 clips, home movies, photos, demo recordings, and Gary Bennett charm are included.
Since 2006 Gary has been strictly focused on a career as a songwriter. Time will only tell what's next for one of the most distinctive voices & songwriters in country music.
Stay tuned to this page and the official web site for news on GB.
