We were lucky to catch up with Zach Garrett recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zach, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Believe it or not, I used to want to be a chiropractor (back doctor). The human body is an amazingly beautiful creation and it all. centers around the spine. I wanted to understand it more. And I thought that was a solid day job. I worked hard towards that goal. I earned my associate’s degree two weeks before graduating high school. I was going to major in music business for my undergraduate studies and then go pursue my certification as a Doctor of Chiropractic at Palmer College of Chiropractic.

All was going according to plan until one day, not too far into my first year of undergrad studies. I was sitting in Anatomy and Physiology, nodding in and out of sleep as we were discussing the evolution of fish. That’s when it hit me that I would so much rather be practicing music. I got up, walked out of the class, dropped the minor, changed the major to Commercial Music Performance and haven’t turned back since!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been in love with music my whole life. Fortunately for me, that love was developed mostly in the church – with a fair amount of secular music mixed in from time to time. I grew up in a relatively small church (approx. 100 people) with wood pews and hymnals. Those hymnals taught me how to sing. Not just sing melody, but harmonize. I didn’t realize it, but I was slowly learning how to read music from singing those old hymns every Sunday morning.

Along with hymns, I grew up listening to a lot of Southern Gospel music. Southern Gospel music was basically country music with 4 part harmony. I didn’t realize until later in my life that one of the groups I enjoyed listening to – The Stamps – were actually Elvis Presley’s backup singers! Not just the Stamps, but the Cathedrals, the Gaither Vocal Band, Gold City, the Happy Goodmans… I listened to them all! The Southern Gospel quartets had something that other musical groups didn’t have… a piano player! And not just any piano player… I heard the best! I heard the piano stylings of Hovie Lister, Roger Bennett, Jeff Stice, and (maybe the greatest to ever touch the ivories) Anthony Burger. Southern Gospel made me want to play piano!

I took lessons for about 2 years starting in 2nd grade, but my teacher became ill and passed away. She was a fabulous teacher that gave me an amazing foundation in music. Nevertheless, when she passed, I was just a kid that didn’t want to practice. Fast forward about 6 months to my 4th grade year. Jeff Stice came to play a piano concert at my church. I sat like a statue in the front pew staring at his hands. I’m not sure what possessed me that night, but I told my parents “I can do that.” So, I locked myself in the piano room in my house and began to dig back into what would be one of my life’s passions…

By the time I was 13, I began singing and playing piano for the first band I was ever in, the Garrett Family. Yes, my mom, dad, uncle, and grandmother had a Southern Gospel quartet and they needed a piano player. That was where I began to spread my wings. My parents supported and believed in me so much that they bought me a very nice keyboard that I could plug into the computer and record with. That’s when I recorded my first album… it was terrible…

But, God was faithful and I improved! In high school, I excelled at percussion and continued to sing. No formal training to speak of, but God was preparing me for so much more. Towards the end of high school, I began to teach music, something I still enjoy doing to this day. I began just teaching percussion. Today, I teach percussion, piano, bass, guitar, and voice.

I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s of Music in commercial music performance (percussion). My first job out of college was the Director of Traditional Music at a local United Methodist Church. I guess God knew what He was preparing me for because the percussion kid was now the song leader and choir director at a pretty big church!

As the years went on, I took every performance gig I could think of. I played in country bands, jazz trios, rock bands, and even a kid’s music group! I played everything from keys to bass, drums, lead/rhythm guitar, and sang a lot of backup harmonies. Still the urge grew and grew in me to strike out on my own.

Just after the 2020 pandemic, I began going down to Nashville, TN to meet people and begin to write songs. I love writing! I had been doing it off and on for years, but getting involved down in Nashville made me get serious about perfecting my craft. I’m still perfecting it, but God has been so faithful…

Writing in Nashville gave me the final push I needed to branch out on my own as an artist. I have promoted so many other’s messages and voices. But, God has given me a message and a voice to share it. That message is that it’s ok if you’ve been hurt. It’s ok if you’re not perfect. God wants a relationship with you, not religious acts. Now, I have many originals in my catalog and I have released 4 so far. Again, God has been so faithful. He has opened doors and shut doors for me. It’s the hardest thing I’ve done yet, but I am looking forward to this next chapter as a solo artist!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love seeing people smile. I’m such an entertainer at heart. I want you to hear my message, yes, but more so I want you to be happy when we part ways. There’s nothing like hearing a room laugh at your joke or cheer at your song that made them feel like dancing. God is so vast and perfect in every way, but I believe a large part of God is joy, and therefore happiness. I believe he created us to be happy. Life is much more enjoyable when you’re happy. I want that for my audiences every time I perform. Yes, I understand you can’t make everyone happy, but if God allows me to get most of the people there, I love it so much!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I honestly feel like I’ve been pivoting all my life. It’s hard to provide for a family when you’re developing as an artist. I have had to adjust many things that I’ve been doing to help make more money from time to time. I have had to join bands or take “gigs” that don’t necessarily line up with my brand, but I felt like I had to do it to provide for my family. God has been so gracious to me to allow me to do something music related in all my areas of income. It’s been hard work… but I’m really bad at flipping burgers… I pivot all the time in so many areas. You have to be flexible and you have to be willing to learn if you’re going to do this full time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thezachgarrett.com
• Instagram: @TheZachGarrett
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheZachGarrett
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheZachGarrett