Who is Bailey Zimmerman? 8 Fun Facts About the Breakout Country Star
In 2022, country music got a new superstar in the making named Bailey Zimmerman. At the age of 22, he already had two songs that reached the top of the Billboard Country Airplay charts. Many have already labeled Zimmerman a country star of the future, with Bailey Zimmerman tickets selling like hotcakes. But aside from his obvious musical talent, what do we know about Zimmerman? We did a little bit of digging and found a bunch of interesting facts and tidbits about the newest country music star.
He’s From a Small Town
Zimmerman isn’t exactly from a country music hotbed. In fact, he’s not from a hotbed of anything. He grew up in the small village of Louisville, Illinois, which has a population of just over 1,100 people, according to the last US Census. But while it’s a small town in the middle of nowhere, Louisville, Illinois, is only a few hours away from Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Louisville, Kentucky. More importantly, Zimmerman grew up only about 250 miles from Nashville, so it wasn’t a terribly long journey when he moved there to pursue music.
His Parents Encouraged His Music
In a somewhat indirect way, Zimmerman’s parents encouraged his love of country music at a young age. Growing up, his dad owned a trucking business, which meant that Zimmerman spent a lot of time on the road with his family, crisscrossing state lines. During those trips, the radio was always turned to country stations, allowing Zimmerman to gain a great appreciation for everything that country music offers. He says that his dad particularly loved Craig Morgan’s “Wake Up Lovin’ You,” cranking the volume every time that song was played on the radio.
He Has Business in His Blood
In addition to helping him gain an appreciation for country music, Zimmerman’s father also showed him what it’s like to own a business by running a trucking business as well as a family-owned salvage yard. However, his father wasn’t Zimmerman’s only role model in that regard. His grandfather owned a car shop where his mom used to work when she was younger. In fact, Zimmerman’s mom and uncle now own that car shop. Also, Zimmerman’s brother owns a metal shop. With that kind of family history, Zimmerman should have a keen eye for business, which is something he might need to make in the music industry long-term.
Music Wasn’t His First Job
Growing up with several family members owning and operating businesses, there was no reason to worry about Zimmerman learning the value of a dollar and the importance of hard work. Of course, he started to learn those things firsthand when he was 16 and got a job at a local meat-processing plant. That’s not exactly easy or glamorous work, but Zimmerman did it while he was still a teenager. Later, he moved from his home in Illinois to West Virginia, where he worked for a union gas pipeline. It was a lot of long hours and hard work, but Zimmerman stayed at that job for about three years until his music career started to take off.
He Made His Debut at a Festival
Surely, every musician remembers their first time being on stage in front of a real audience. Hopefully, members of the audience remember it as well. In Zimmerman’s case, he made his debut at the Rock the South music festival in 2021. That year, the festival in Cullman, Alabama, was headlined by Luke Combs, with Miranda Lambert, Ingrid Andress, and countless other established country artists taking the stage. Obviously, at the time, nobody was there to see Zimmerman. But he was given a 25-minute time slot to show what he could do. It ended up being the start of what figures to be a great career.
He Got His Start on TikTok
While playing the Rock the South festival was a huge break for Zimmerman, he technically got his start on TikTok. Like so many aspiring musicians, he started sharing his music on TikTok, ultimately gaining a massive following. Some of his first songs were shared on the platform, helping him gain traction in the industry and reach a larger audience.
He Dreams of Headlining Madison Square Garden
While Zimmerman has played in front of some impressive audiences both live and on TV, he says that his dream is to be a headlining act at Madison Square Garden. In fairness, he’s not the first musician to have such a dream. Zimmerman says the thought first occurred to him after he saw Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. The documentary chronicling the lead-up to Bieber’s performance at MSG inspired Zimmerman to set similar sights for himself, calling Madison Square Garden “the ultimate place to play.”
He Has Interests Outside of Music
Even though he started playing guitar at the age of nine, Zimmerman has always had other interests outside of music. Growing up, he used to spend his free time building custom-lifted trucks. In fact, his TikTok channel included videos of these trucks, not just his music. Zimmerman also enjoys riding bikes and played baseball when he was young. At times, he’s put music on the shelf to focus on his other interests, so he’s far from a one-trick pony who is focused on music and nothing else.