Since releasing his first single in 2007, songwriter and recording artist Lee Brice has carved out a career that’s been peppered with “believe it or not” moments — you know, those situations that sound either too good or too weird to be true but really are.
Brice, who on Monday (June 10) confronts a 40-candle birthday cake, has four studio albums and 14 singles to his credit. Four of those singles went No. 1, and seven others made it into the Top 10. His latest was last year’s “Rumor,” which reached No. 6.
As a songwriter, Brice has had material recorded by several major artists, among them Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Charles Esten (of the TV series Nashville) and Eli Young Band — plus one more big name that leads us to Brice’s first dazzler:
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Garth Brooks’ “More Than a Memory”
Believe it or not… In 2007, the Garth Brooks single, “More Than a Memory,” which Brice co-wrote, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. It was the first time for that to happen in the history of the charts, since it usually takes several weeks for even a hot song to scramble all the way to the top. But, wait, there’s more.
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“Love Like Crazy”
Believe it or not… Brice’s 2009 single, “Love Like Crazy,” stayed on the charts for a record-setting 56 weeks — that’s four weeks longer than a year, y’ all — before it finally peaked at No. 3. It broke the previous longevity record of 54 continuous weeks set in 1948-49 by Eddy Arnold with “Bouquet of Roses.” Now on to the final oddity.
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“I Drive Your Truck”
Believe it or not…In 2012, Brice scored a No. 1 with a truck song that didn’t involve beer-drinking, partying with friends or making out. That song, of course, was “I Drive Your Truck,” a story told in the voice of a youngster whose older brother is killed in a war and who feels closest to him while roaring around the countryside in the memory-cluttered pickup he’s left behind.
According to Brice’s homepage, he’ll be roaring around the countryside on tour all this summer, performing such of his hits as “A Woman Like You,” “Hard to Love, “I Don’t Dance” and the aforesaid, “I Drive Your Truck.” And, who knows, maybe he’ll generate yet another believe it or not eye-opener to spring on his fans.
