Zac Brown's 'American Dream': Music, Veteran Support and the 'Power of Two' with Kendra Scott (Exclusive)

Brianne TracyFri, June 19, 2026 at 3:00 PM UTC

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Zac Brown at Ford's Proud to Honor event on June 17, 2026Credit: Ford Motor Company -

Zac Brown partnered with Ford, NASCAR, and Blue Star Families to honor military families aboard the USS Midway Museum on June 17

His connection to veterans inspired his 2008 hit "Chicken Fried" and led to founding Camp Southern Ground in Georgia

Brown and wife Kendra Scott bond over their shared passion for helping others and balancing their busy careers

As the Fourth of July approaches, Zac Brown wants to shift the focus back to our troops and veterans.

On Wednesday, June 17, the musician, 47, and his Zac Brown Band bandmates joined Ford, NASCAR and Blue Star Families at a special event aboard the iconic USS Midway Museum in San Diego to celebrate military families ahead of the inaugural NASCAR San Diego Weekend kicking off June 19.

"We got to headline Ford's Proud to Honor show last year, and we're thrilled to be here again," Brown tells PEOPLE. "The USS Midway is such a historical ship to get to celebrate military families on and announce the Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic."

The Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic race will take place on Veterans Day 2026 and honor all six branches of the military. The Zac Brown Band and other talent are also set to perform at the race.

"It's going to be a special one," Brown says. "I'm so excited to partner with Ford on this and be here to support all the people that make sacrifices so that we can all be safe and live our American dream."

The Zac Brown Band at Ford's Proud to Honor event on June 17, 2026Credit: Ford Motor Company

Brown says his special connection to the troops and veterans began in college, as he had friends who had served. He was also living with a Marine in Marietta, Ga., when he wrote the final verse of his 2008 hit "Chicken Fried": "Salute the ones who died/The ones that give their lives/So we don't have to sacrifice/All the things we love."

"Once that song was out there, it just was in my heart and part of the mission from that point on," says Brown, who always invites a veteran or active-duty member on stage for a salute when he performs "Chicken Fried" on tour.

Zac Brown at Ford's Proud to Honor event on June 17, 2026Credit: Ford Motor Company

That same year, Brown traveled on his first USO tour and got to "see firsthand what [service members] have to give up."

"The first time that I went over to do the USO tour, since they'd been deployed for a while and 'Chicken Fried' had just come out on the radio, they didn't really know who I was," he says. "But now it's funny, I'll be somewhere and someone will be like, 'I was in Iraq when you played there the first time, before I even knew who you were.' It's surreal."

The Zac Brown Band at Ford's Proud to Honor event on June 17Credit: Ford Motor Company

Then, in 2011, Brown founded Camp Southern Ground, a world-class facility in Fayetteville, Ga., dedicated to serving youth and veterans.

"The most rewarding part is hearing the testimonials of people who have come through the programs and hearing the difference that it made in their family and in their life, and then seeing a lot of the people that came through the early programs now work on staff," he says. "I mean, a lot of that's a God thing, too. I feel like I was used to help to bring people together."

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Zac Brown at Ford's Proud to Honor event on June 17, 2026Credit: Ford Motor Company

A self-described "product of summer camps," Brown says he was only 14 when he knew he wanted to open up this kind of campus and also pursue music.

"I've always had a clear path," he says. "It's not always a straight path, but it's a clear one. So, I'm really happy. I had a lot of friends that had five degrees and different things and still didn't know what they wanted to do. But from the time I was 14, that's what I wanted to do. So I'm living my American Dream, and I get to do it because of all the people that keep us safe."

Brown's Camp Southern Ground is also what first connected him with his wife, jewelry designer Kendra Scott, whom he married in Greece in May.

"That was the first reason we started talking to each other," he says. "She was going to come down and visit the campus and see what we're doing there. And then as I've gotten to know her and her heart and see the difference she makes in people's lives, it's incredible. We definitely share that. We share the same value for family first, and then for taking care of our people and then figuring out how we make a difference."

Kendra Scott and Zac Brown in Las Vegas in May 2025Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Brown says his and Scott's "same passion for helping people" makes everything "really easy."

"The two of us can also now come together to figure out how we can both contribute and really magnify it," he says. "It's contagious when you see the results and the difference that it makes in people's lives. It's like, that's what we're here for. I think we're here to sharpen each other, lift each other up, help each other. She lives the same way, same path."

Between two bustling careers, Brown admits finding quality time with Scott, 52, can sometimes be a challenge.

"We have similar lives in that we're always moving, traveling, doing things, making things happen," he says. "And now, we're family with each other and servicing our families and all the things together, so it's that power of two."

Zac Brown and Kendra Scott in Las Vegas in May 2025Credit: David Becker/Getty

With Brown's Love & Fear tour kicking off July 17 and Scott's own work travel, "we aren't together as much as we want to be, but it's a lot easier knowing that we found our person," he says.

"We have similar pressures that aren't super common, so I can understand the pressure she has in her life," he says. "It's definitely different, and it's a blessing. We hopefully got a lot of time — knock on wood — to figure out how to be together as much as we can and how to support each other on the days that we can't. When we're together, we try to just savor every day, every moment that we get."

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