The Foundation (Zac Brown Band album)

The Foundation
Studio album by
Zac Brown Band
ReleasedNovember 18, 2008
StudioBrighter Shade Studio, Atlanta, GA; Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; The Sound Station Nashville, TN; Wedgewood Sound.
GenreCountry
Length42:42
Label
Producer
Zac Brown Band chronology
The Foundation
(2008) 		You Get What You Give
(2010)
Singles from The Foundation
  1. "Chicken Fried"
    Released: June 16, 2008
  2. "Whatever It Is"
    Released: January 24, 2009
  3. "Toes"
    Released: July 6, 2009
  4. "Highway 20 Ride"
    Released: November 23, 2009
  5. "Free"
    Released: April 12, 2010
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Engine 145[2]
Billboard(favorable)[3]

The Foundation is the first major-label studio album by American country music band Zac Brown Band. It was released on November 18, 2008.[4] Originally slated for release on the Home Grown label and Big Picture Records, the album is distributed by Atlantic Nashville in association with those two labels. The financing for the album was provided by Atlanta, GA entrepreneur Braden Copeland through his investment company Braden Copeland Ventures, LLC.[5] On December 2, 2009, the album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.[6] and also earned the band the Grammy Award for Best New Artist on January 31. The album also has been nominated for the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards "Album of the Year" award. As of September 2015, the album has sold 3.4 million copies in the US.[7] It is the only album to feature Joel Williams, who left the band prior to its release.

Content

[edit]

The album includes five singles, starting with "Chicken Fried," which the band had previously recorded on its 2005 self-released album Home Grown.[8] One year later, The Lost Trailers released this song as a single on BNA Records, but the label withdrew the single after Brown changed his mind about licensing the song.[9] The Zac Brown Band's rendition became a Number One country hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in December 2008.

Four further singles were released from the album – "Whatever It Is," "Toes," "Highway 20 Ride" and "Free" – the latter three of which were also Number One hits. Additionally, "Different Kind of Fine" also entered the chart as an album cut from unsolicited airplay, where it reached number 55.

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Toes"Zac Brown; Wyatt Durrette; John Driskell Hopkins; Shawn Mullins4:21
2."Whatever It Is"Zac Brown; Wyatt Durrette3:29
3."Where the Boat Leaves From"Zac Brown; Wyatt Durrette3:44
4."Violin Intro To Free"Jimmy De Martini1:01
5."Free"Zac Brown3:48
6."Chicken Fried"Zac Brown; Wyatt Durrette3:58
7."Mary"Zac Brown; Joseph Cline2:50
8."Different Kind of Fine"Zac Brown; Wyatt Durrette; Stokes Nielson3:18
9."Highway 20 Ride"Zac Brown; Wyatt Durrette3:51
10."It's Not OK"John Driskell Hopkins4:10
11."Jolene"Ray LaMontagne4:21
12."Sic 'em on a Chicken"Zac Brown; John Driskell Hopkins3:51
Total length:42:42

Personnel

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  • Zac Brown – acoustic guitar, lead vocals, background vocals
  • Jimmy De Martini – fiddle, background vocals
  • Greenwood Hart – keyboards, Hammond B-3 organ, accordion
  • John Driskell Hopkins – bass guitar, background vocals, second lead vocals on "It's Not OK"
  • Brent Mason – electric guitar
  • Marcus Petruska – drums, percussion, background vocals
  • Gary Prim – keyboards, Hammond B-3 organ
  • Joel Williams – electric guitar

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for The Foundation
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[22] Platinum 80,000‡
United States (RIAA)[23] 5× Platinum 5,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Deming, Mark. "The Foundation review". Allmusic. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  2. ^ Greenberg, Pierce (November 20, 2008). "The Foundation review". Engine 145. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  3. ^ Tucker, Ken (November 22, 2008). "Music reviews". Billboard. p. 77. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  4. ^ Billboard.com - Zac Brown Band Signs With Atlantic
  5. ^ BradenCopeland.com - About
  6. ^ "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List", Grammy.com, December 2, 2009
  7. ^ Caulfield, Keith (September 4, 2015). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Bon Jovi Earns 15th Top 20 Album". Billboard.
  8. ^ Wynn, Ron (August 1, 2008). "Short Takes". Nashville City Paper. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  9. ^ Tucker, Ken (March 15, 2006). "BNA Forced To Swap Trailers' Single". Radio Monitor. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  10. ^ "Zac Brown Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  11. ^ "Zac Brown Band Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  12. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  13. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  14. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  15. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  16. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  17. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  18. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  20. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  21. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Top Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  22. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Zac Brown Band – The Foundation". Music Canada. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  23. ^ "American album certifications – Zac Brown Band – The Foundation". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
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