Getty Zac and Shelly Brown pictured together in February 2017.
Shelly and Zac Brown said that the couple’s journey has begun “to lead in different directions.” The Zac Brown Band frontman and Shelly said in a statement to People Magazine, “We feel blessed to be on such an incredible journey in life and sometimes the journey begins to lead in different directions. It is with deep love and respect that we announce we are separating as a couple. We have led a whirlwind life together growing into a beautiful family with five amazing children and while life will be rearranging a bit, our love and commitment to our family will always be there. This was a difficult decision, but we’ve done plenty of tough things together and this is our next venture-love, mutual respect, and care for each other are what we are moving forward with. Family comes in all different forms. We would like to ask that rather than commenting or spending any energy towards this, that you take this moment to send love to your family, in honor of ours.”
The couple has five children together, Justice, 11, Lucy, 10, Georgia, 8, Joni, 7 and son, Alexander, 4. The couple was married in 2006. Their daughter Georgia’s middle name is Sloan, which is Shelly’s maiden name.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Shelly Started Her Own Jewelry Brand After Giving Birth to 5 Children in 9 Years
According to her Instagram page, Shelly is a jewelry designer, whose designs sells across the country. On the official website for her brand, Shelly describes herself as a “Georgia native, her signature style is rooted in the salt of the earth sensibilities of growing up in the South and years of life on the road.”
The bio goes on, “Travel has always been a major source of inspiration for Shelly as she is the daughter of a pilot, and now the wife of a touring musician, Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band.” Shelly launched her brand in 2015 after having five children in nine years. She runs the brand out of her home in Georgia, the jewelry is manufactured in Rhode Island.
2. Zac Brown Said He Knew Shelly Was ‘the One’ After Their First Kiss
The couple pictured in July 2016.
Zac said in a 2015 interview with Big Machine Label Group, that he knew that Shelly was “the one” after their first kiss. Zac explained, “We ended up New Year’s Eve playing a show. My date had stood me up and I remember walking back to my friends with like two minutes before midnight and thinking, “I’m not gonna have anybody to kiss on New Year’s.” And there she was, standing right there and I remember kissing her and then that was game over.”
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3. The Couple Met When Shelly Had Just Finished College
Shelly told People Magazine in 2017 that a friend introduced the couple just after she had graduated from George State University. Shelly describes herself as being “really young” when they met.
4. Shelly Is a Co-Founder of Camp Southern Ground
Shelly helped to found Camp Southern Ground along with her husband. The camp “provides extraordinary experiences for children to recognize and magnify the unique gifts within themselves and others in order to profoundly impact the world,” according to their website. The camp focuses on the children of military personnel and children with neurological injuries. Shelly told People about the camp saying, “Camp Southern Ground was Zac’s dream from the time he was 14. Over 10 years ago, on our first date, he told me he was going to start a camp for kids… Every time we would live somewhere, we would end up buying an extra piece of land like, “That’s going to be where the group is going to go.” So when we got our house that we’re in now, it was just so meant to be.” Shelly added that through the camp, she teaches her own children that helping others is “the most important thing” and that the “world does not revolve around” them. Shelly said of her husband, “There’s nothing that [Zac] loves more than those kids and [being] a daddy. That’s what matters.”
5. Zac Takes the Whole Family With Him When He Goes on the Road
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdJjO5-Bh0I/?taken-by=shellybrown
Zac told CMT in August 2016, as he was preparing to on tour, that he was taking his whole family with him on tour. Zac added that it wasn’t so difficult as he and his wife homeschool their own children. Zac made reference to leaving his children in the 2010 song, “I Play the Road.” Zac said in the CMT interview, “Family comes out whenever we know it’s gonna be steady on a run that’s continuous. If I’m chartering in and out and flying home after I play, that doesn’t make sense. But where we can bus, then we’ll bring the family out and spend time with them during the day.” In reference to his children’s education, Zac said, “Part of what we’re doing this year is an American History tour and so some of the history that they’re learning is right there on the sites where it actually happened.”
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