Feature Photo: Photo by Katrina Paisano, taken on 23 August 2023 at Crypto.com Arena., Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
Zach Bryan began sharing self-recorded songs while serving in the United States Navy, uploading performances to YouTube before “Heading South” brought his music to a much larger audience. The Oklahoma singer-songwriter released the independent albums DeAnn in 2019 and Elisabeth in 2020 before moving into a period of rapid commercial growth with American Heartbreak, Zach Bryan, and The Great American Bar Scene.
His self-titled album reached number one on the Billboard 200, while “I Remember Everything,” recorded with Kacey Musgraves, won the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Bryan followed those releases with his sixth studio album, With Heaven on Top, on January 9, 2026. The album became his second number-one release on the Billboard 200 and launched another major international stadium tour.
Although Zach Bryan records and performs under his own name rather than as the leader of a formally named band, a recognizable group of musicians has helped shape his live and studio sound. The lineup has changed as Bryan’s career expanded, and several musicians who were central to earlier tours have since moved into solo work or other projects.
Current Touring And Recording Musicians
Read Connolly
Read Connolly performs pedal steel guitar, banjo, Dobro, violin, and backing vocals with Zach Bryan. His playing adds traditional country textures to songs that otherwise move freely between folk, rock, and Americana.
Connolly appeared throughout Bryan’s major touring period and became especially recognizable during performances of “Revival,” when his featured banjo solo became one of the closing song’s established concert moments.
He remained a major contributor on With Heaven on Top, playing pedal steel, banjo, Dobro, violin, and additional vocals across numerous tracks. Connolly has also performed with Charles Wesley Godwin and other artists outside Bryan’s touring organization.
Lucas Ruge-Jones
Lucas Ruge-Jones performs fiddle, violin, mandolin, trumpet, percussion, and backing vocals. His string playing became an important part of Bryan’s live arrangements, particularly during the expanded instrumental sections that close many concerts.
Ruge-Jones contributed to American Heartbreak, Zach Bryan, and later studio work. His fiddle and violin playing also appears throughout With Heaven on Top, where he contributed to songs including “Appetite,” “Bad News,” “Drowning,” and “All Good Things Past.”
His live work with the group has helped preserve the folk and traditional country elements within Bryan’s increasingly large stadium productions.
Zephyr Avalon
Zephyr Avalon joined Zach Bryan’s touring group in 2021 and performs bass guitar, upright bass, and acoustic bass. His playing provides the foundation beneath the band’s layered guitars, fiddle, steel guitar, keyboards, and percussion.
Avalon appeared on Bryan’s self-titled album and The Great American Bar Scene. He remained one of the principal musicians on With Heaven on Top, contributing electric and acoustic bass throughout the record.
Outside Bryan’s band, Avalon has worked as a session musician, composer, producer, and solo artist. His background includes classical training and performances across jazz, pop, rock, and country music.
Noah Le Gros
Noah Le Gros performs electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Dobro, percussion, and backing vocals. His guitar work helped broaden Bryan’s live sound as the touring ensemble expanded from smaller venues into arenas and stadiums.
Le Gros contributed to the self-titled Zach Bryan album and The Great American Bar Scene. He remained a principal guitarist on With Heaven on Top, appearing on most of the album’s full-band recordings.
In addition to music, Le Gros has worked as an actor. His combination of rhythm parts, lead lines, and atmospheric guitar textures has made him one of Bryan’s most consistent recent collaborators.
Nate Head
Nate Head became Zach Bryan’s principal drummer following Steve Clark’s departure from the touring group. A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Head brought a flexible rhythmic approach suited to Bryan’s blend of quiet acoustic songs and larger rock arrangements.
Head performed drums and tambourine throughout With Heaven on Top. His work appears on songs including “Runny Eggs,” “Appetite,” “Bad News,” “Drowning,” and “All Good Things Past.”
He has also released music under his own name while continuing his work as a touring and recording musician.
Keenan O’Meara
Keenan O’Meara became an important recording collaborator during the creation of With Heaven on Top. He contributed acoustic guitar, piano, and backing vocals across much of the album.
O’Meara also appeared as a supporting artist on selected dates of Bryan’s 2026 With Heaven on Tour. His work with Bryan combines the roles of studio musician, songwriter, solo performer, and occasional touring collaborator rather than a single fixed band position.
Former And Earlier Touring Musicians
Steve Clark
Steve Clark served as Zach Bryan’s drummer during the period in which Bryan moved from theaters into major arenas. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Clark brought a forceful but restrained style that supported both Bryan’s acoustic writing and the louder arrangements used in concert.
Clark toured during the Burn, Burn, Burn and Quittin’ Time periods and played drums on the self-titled Zach Bryan album. His work can be heard across several songs that reached the Billboard Hot 100.
Clark left Bryan’s band before the With Heaven on Top recording cycle. Nate Head subsequently became the principal drummer on Bryan’s 2026 album and tour.
J.R. Carroll
J.R. Carroll was one of Zach Bryan’s earliest and most recognizable musical collaborators, contributing piano, guitar, percussion, and backing vocals. His friendship and musical connection with Bryan predated the large-scale touring years.
Carroll appeared on American Heartbreak and participated in numerous early tours and performances. His keyboard work and harmonies helped give Bryan’s songs a fuller sound while retaining their informal and direct character.
Carroll later concentrated more heavily on his solo career, releasing Dark Cloud and appearing as a supporting artist on selected dates of Bryan’s 2026 tour.
Graham Bright
Graham Bright contributed electric and acoustic guitar to Zach Bryan’s touring and recording work. His guitar parts supported the transition from Bryan’s stripped-down early recordings into the denser arrangements heard on later albums.
Bright appears on American Heartbreak and the self-titled Zach Bryan album. His work ranged from rhythm accompaniment to more prominent electric-guitar lines and solos.
Although he was an important member of the earlier touring ensemble, he was not listed among the principal musicians on With Heaven on Top.
Andrew Morris
Andrew Morris was associated with Zach Bryan’s early touring and musical circle. Public documentation of his exact instrumental duties and recording credits is limited compared with the musicians whose roles appear in album personnel listings.
His inclusion in the band’s history reflects the collaborative group that supported Bryan before the touring organization became more formally documented through major-label album credits and large-scale concert productions.
Producer And Studio Collaborator
Eddie Spear
Eddie Spear is a producer, engineer, and studio musician rather than a regular touring member of Zach Bryan’s band. He played an important role in Bryan’s recordings, particularly during the American Heartbreak period.
Spear also produced “Oklahoman Son” from the self-titled Zach Bryan album and contributed piano and backing vocals to earlier sessions. His work helped translate Bryan’s direct songwriting style into recordings that retained an informal atmosphere while supporting a much broader instrumental range.
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Updated August 2, 2026.
Complete List Of Zach Bryan Band Members article published on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026
