Who is Gavin Adcock? Georgian country musician at center of Zach Bryan feud at Oklahoma Festival
Georgia-born Gavin Adcock went from playing college football to topping country music charts. Here is a closer look at his journey and recent controversies.
The Born & Raised Festival in Oklahoma turned dramatic this weekend when Zach Bryan appeared to confront fellow country artist Gavin Adcock. Videos circulating on social media showed Bryan scaling a fence and charging toward Adcock before security intervened, reported Rolling Stone.
The encounter has thrust Adcock into the spotlight, but who exactly is the Georgia musician making waves in country music?
Who is Gavin Adcock?
Gavin Adcock hails from Watkinsville in Georgia, where he grew up on his family’s cattle farm, according to his website. Adcock, before turning to music, was into sports and even played football for Georgia Southern University. After a 2021 injury, he took time off the field, and it was during recovery that he began writing and recording music seriously.
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Adcock's rise in country music
Adcock released his first original single in 2021. Since then, he quickly rose in the country music scene, with his tracks amassing over one billion streams globally. One of his breakout hits, A Cigarette, alone raked in more than 150 million streams, according to the musician's website.
His latest project, Actin’ Up Again, became the largest major-label country debut by a solo male artist in 2024. The record also set a streaming record, pulling in 15 million on-demand US streams in its release week. With his growing popularity, Adcock’s headlining tour dates sell out within hours, and he continues to book major festival appearances through 2025.
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Gavin Adcock embroiled in controversies
While Adcock’s rise was swift, it was not without controversy. He has publicly criticized fellow artists, including Zach Bryan and Charley Crockett. At a recent concert with Morgan Wallen, Adcock held up a t-shirt featuring Crockett’s face, prompting Wallen to flip it off onstage, the Rolling Stone report added.
The report added that Adcock even made headlines for dismissing Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album and declaring onstage that it was not country music.
The latest feud with Zach Bryan stemmed from Adcock criticizing Bryan’s online response to a teen fan who waited for an autograph. Adcock accused Bryan of putting on a ‘mask’ in his public life, sparking ongoing tension that appeared to spill over at the Oklahoma festival.
FAQs
Q1. Who is Gavin Adcock?
Gavin Adcock is a Georgia-born country singer and former Georgia Southern University football player who has rapidly risen in the music industry with over 1 billion streams.
Q2. What is Gavin Adcock’s most popular song?
His fan-favorite single “A Cigarette” has over 150 million streams.
Q3. What is Adcock’s debut album?
His 2024 album Actin’ Up Again became the largest debut for a solo male country artist on a major label.
Q4. Why is he in the news with Zach Bryan?
Adcock and Bryan have been engaged in a public feud, which escalated into a confrontation at the Born & Raised Festival.
