Lee Brice Artistfacts

June 10, 1979
Lee Brice grew up in Sumter, South Carolina, in a close-knit, musically inclined family. His parents, Kenneth Sr. and Carleen Brice, were active in church music, with his mother and father singing and his aunts even recording a gospel album. From a young age, Lee was surrounded by singing and gospel music, which shaped his musical style.
He started playing piano at age 7 and soon picked up guitar, frequently singing in church and writing his own songs during his school years. Brice entered and won several talent contests in high school, further fueling his passion for performance.
Brice attended Clemson University on a football scholarship as a long snapper, but a career-ending arm injury led him to pursue music full-time. "I was writing songs, and I just knew this is what I was going to do," Brice told the Southern Living podcast.
Before he broke through as an artist, Brice made a name for himself as a songwriter. He penned Garth Brooks' "More Than a Memory," which made history as the first song ever to debut at #1 on the Country chart. He also co-wrote Tim McGraw's "Still" and Eli Young Band's "Crazy Girl."

Brice has said that Garth Brooks was his biggest influence, recalling how watching Brooks perform made him understand the storytelling power of country music. Writing a #1 hit for his idol was, for him, a full-circle moment.
Brice's breakout as an artist came with songs rooted in personal truth and grit and often written by someone else. Like his hero Garth Brooks, he's never been precious about only singing his own material. "I Drive Your Truck," one of his signature hits, was written by Connie Harrington, Jessi Alexander, and Jimmy Yeary after hearing a real-life story about a soldier's father coping with loss. Brice's delivery turned it into one of country music's most moving tributes to grief and love.
When Brice proposed to his longtime love Sara Reeveley on January 2, 2012, in Key West, Florida, he used a little sleight of hand. "I walked around the corner and acted like I was putting on my bracelet, saying, 'Hey, I think I may wear my rings tonight,' and asked her if she would wear one," he told US Weekly. "Then I pulled hers out of my hand, got down on one knee, and asked her."
Brice's wedding to Sara, held on April 21, 2013 in the mountain resort town of Branson, Missouri, became part of his musical story. Brice wrote "I Don't Dance" just for Sara as their first dance song and never intended it for release. "It's the most personal thing I've written ever," he told People.

Released as a single, it struck a chord with listeners, climbing to #1 on the Country Airplay chart in 2014. The video even includes real footage from their wedding.
Off the stage, Brice hosts what he calls "the best dove hunt in Tennessee" on his property, just a mile from Luke Bryan's. "Luke comes over and says, 'Man, why you got all the doves?'" Brice joked to Audacy's Katie Neal. His secret is old-fashioned dedication; he tends his fields year-round to keep the birds coming back.

And yes, he cooks them himself: grilled with salt, pepper, and a dash of soy sauce. "No bacon wrapping necessary," he laughed.

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