Silke Jasso
Brantley Gilbert should have been feeling ecstatic. There he was, a Georgia boy who beat the odds and became a country music superstar in 2011 with hits such as “Country Must be Country Wide” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.”
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But instead of celebrating, he felt like he was dying.
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According to a recent interview with The Tennessean newspaper, Brantley admits that he found himself hospitalized and later in rehab that year, dealing with alcohol issues that could have taken his career down forever.
But right then, Keith Urban walked in.
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“I told him, I don’t think I can do my job. I don’t know if I can ever play a song at my shows without being (messed) up. Or writing, I was worried my songs wouldn’t be the same, that I wouldn’t be on everyone else’s level,” Brantley said. “It’s a drinking environment.”
According to the story, Keith went on to tell Brantley that he too once felt the same feelings, but that he slowly came to realize that he ‘was a better performer, a better writer, he had more fun, he was a better husband and a better man without drugs and alcohol.’
“My whole world flipped,” he said. “At that point, I was like, ‘All right.’ ”
Oh and he is. Now six years later, Brantley finds himself happy, content and better than ever.
