It’s been a long road for the Georgia-born singer-songwriter, who’s had success writing for Jason Aldean and Colt Ford and is now hoping for similar success his own CD. Although he’s been singing “since I was old enough to make a noise,” Brantley didn’t consider pursuing a career in music until a near-fatal accident led him to reevaluated his life.

He sings about that fateful event in the song, “Halfway to Heaven,” which is also the title of the new CD due February 21. The disk chronicles the last six years of Brantley’s life, and what a ride it’s been. He’s written a song on Jason Aldean’s “Wide Open” CD; played to packed houses; and opened for Eric Church, Luke Bryan, other musicians he admires.

Brantley has also built a huge online following since his first CD, “Modern-Day Prodigal Son,” was released. His MySpace page has had more than 3 million visitors, something many established country acts can’t come close to matching, and he credits that online success with getting him attention in Nashville as well as bringing the crowds to his live shows.

He hopes the new CD will bring him even more “friends” – he doesn’t have fans, he says, because “If you support me, you’re my friend… If you listen to my songs, you know me.”

Find out more about Brantley Gilbert at www.brantleygilbert.com.

Listen to Brantley talk about what it was like to hear Jason Aldean sing a very personal song that he wrote for his old girlfriend, how he overcame his parents’ initial resistance to his music career, how much he admires Eric Church, and why he owes a big debt to R&B boy band Boys2Men.

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Vicky Dobbin is a music lover in Falls Church, VA. Follow her at www.Twitter.com/vdobbin. Read her blog at www.lovemycountrymusic.com.