Bo-Zac

From the time he could walk, BO HEATHERLEY was putting 45 records on Juke Boxes. When his father passed away, he became the 3rd generation business owner of his family’s Amusement Company; Bo was 17 years old. At that time, Ricky Van Shelton was the hottest country singer on the charts, and Bo installed every single that Ricky released. His Granny taught him his first guitar chord when he was 3 years old. He soon began to play and sing at his family’s church, singing softly until he learned each harmony part of every song. This time in church cemented his love for great vocals and harmonies. As a teenager, he started playing drums, as did many of his friends, before he decided to return to guitar; then he learned trombone, trumpet and other wind instruments in high school band. He began his love of performing on stage at age 17; and had his first live show in Nashville TN, when he was 19 years old. He joined his first variety band, Legacy, at age 20, and continued to hone his skills for 13 years, until he was recruited to play with the country music band, Diamondback. After several years, he formed his own band, BRB, which later evolved into BRZ, a 3 to 6-piece band (depending on venue size) that play the areas surrounding Virginia. In 2017, BO-ZAC became the Virginia DUO that entertains a huge following of classic country music fans.

From his earliest memories, ZACH BURNETTE grew up listening to traditional country/bluegrass music. When he was 12 years old, Zach met a kind, old man named Neil, at one of his family’s fishing trips to the Chesapeake Bay. Neil told stories, played guitar and sang old folk songs, songs by Roy Acuff, Hank Williams and other legends. Zach instantly fell in love with the words, music and feelings evoked by Neil’s simple performance of classic songs, and learned everything he could from this great teacher. By age 16, Zach began writing songs of his own, picking guitar at bluegrass festivals, singing in church and experienced his first solo performance. This is when he met Bo Heatherley and performed cameo appearances with the BRB band. After winning first-place awards in high school talent competitions for three consecutive years, Zach formed the 4-piece band, The Long Mountain Band. In 2016, at 21 years of age, Bo invited Zach to join with him to form the BRZ band; and in a few months, the two of them created BO-ZAC to meet the demands of fans who are hungry for classic country music.

Ricky Van Shelton had retired from performing and touring in 2006 and had become a recluse by the time he and Bo formed a strong friendship in 2014. It was Bo’s passion for singing that rekindled Ricky’s love of great music that had been buried for almost 10 years. In 2015, thru Bo, Ricky met Zach and felt an immediate connection with him. This summer, after an 11-year hiatus, Ricky Van returned to Nashville to introduce these two entertainers to music industry executives. This showcase resulted in BO-ZAC being invited to perform at several Nashville clubs, open for Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan in August, and with Ricky Skaggs in September. ​

“I believe in Bo and Zach. Bo is one of the smoothest singers that you will ever hear. Zach has the most unique voice and power I’ve heard in years. They are both friends of mine, and I believe in them and their talent.” Quote by Ricky Van Shelton