11 Years Ago: Zac Brown Band Hits #1 with “Chicken Fried”

The Zac Brown Band first debuted in 2008 with a song that every country music fan knows by now -- "Chicken Fried."

Released to radio in June of 2008, "Chicken Fried" would reach number one on both the Mediabase and Billboard country airplay charts the last week of November.

Written by Zac and Wyatt Durrette, the song was the lead single off their album The Foundation.

The song was first written in the early 2000's and Zac recorded it in 2003. Then in early 2006, The Lost Trailers ('Holler Back') recorded the song and their label BNA Records released it as their major label debut single...the only problem was Zac didn't want another artist to release it to radio.

Zac claimed he was promised by The Lost Trailers' label it wouldn't see radio and when it was he filed a lawsuit to get the song pulled off radio stations. The Lost Trailers version only got to #52 in March of 2006.

Zac and his band finally released the song as their debut single three years later and the rest is history.

The Lost Trailers version is nearly impossible to locate to this day.

"Chicken Fried" is one of those songs that even non-country music listeners have heard of and enjoy. It's just so universal that it's hard not to relate and sing along.