Zach Top is one of the hottest names in country music right now. Zach’s traditional ’90s-style country sound is something country fans young and old crave, and Zach Top serves it up in new, original songs.

Top not only conquers the hearts of true country fans, he also conquers the mainstream. He is nominated for New Artist of the Year at the 2024 CMA Awards on November 20, his single ‘Sounds Like the Radio’ is currently at No. 16 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and his song ‘Never Lie’ has made its debut in the Billboard Hot 100. completely without organic appeal.

As a bluegrass prodigy turned bluegrass artist turned traditional country star, Zach Top deserves the lion’s share of the credit for his meteoric rise. He’s the right artist at the right time, and everything clicks for him. He’s an incredible guitarist, with both acoustic flatpicking and Brent Mason-style electric picking, but also a soulful and emotional singer, and a top-quality songwriter when he wants to be.

But behind every star is often a cast of unsung heroes who deserve credit, especially when everything falls into place as it did with Zach Top. Here are the key members of Zach Top’s band and team who helped him get to Top.

Cheyenne Dalton Meyer and Jimmy Meyer

If you’ve seen Zach Top live, you’ve probably said to yourself, “Who is that girl playing acoustic guitar and singing harmonies with Zach Top?” Since Zach Top plays his own lead guitar, someone has to play acoustic guitar to fill out the sound. That’s Cheyenne Dalton Meyer’s job.

Cheyenne met Zach Top when they were growing up and played together on the bluegrass circuit. She actually started in Zach’s band as a merchant girl, then replaced her sister-in-law in the band when she left.

When she joined Zach Top’s band, Cheyenne could even play guitar. She was a violin/mandolin player. In one month she had to learn to play the guitar and perform a 90-minute set. Early on, Cheyenne also played fiddle and mandolin, and was the band’s assistant player. But lately she has been focusing mainly on acoustic guitar and harmony vocals. During headlining sets, Cheyenne might also sing one or two classic country songs of her own.

Another reason why Cheyenne is valuable to Zach Top is that she is active on social media. In a Tik-Tok video from June, she explained her role in the band. A lot of Zach Top’s power actually comes from social media buzz, but Zach is not personally on these platforms, only his management runs through his accounts. In some ways, this makes Cheyenne one of Zach’s contacts with the online world.

Some have also wondered if Zach Top and Cheyenne might be romantically linked. Cheyenne is romantically linked to a member of the band, but it is not Zach Top. Zach’s bassist Jimmy Meyer happens to be Cheyenne’s husband.

Jimmy Meyer has been touring and playing with Zach Top for three or four years now, and like Cheyenne, he grew up with Zach on the bluegrass circuit. Together with Cheyenne, “Smokin’ Brett Resnick” and current drummer Nate Felty, they form the core of Zach Top’s band. They also recently played with multi-instrumentalist David Meyer, who played violin and keyboard.

“Smoking” Brett Resnick

Steel guitarist Brett Resnick is truly one of the unsung heroes of the country music revolution. He was Kelsey Waldon’s right-hand man for years as she made a name for herself in country music. When Kacey Musgraves was blossoming, Brett Resnick was her man of steel, appearing on major tours and major awards shows. Brett Resnick was also Luke Bell’s steel guitarist when he went on all those big Hank Jr., Dwight Yoakam and Willie Nelson tours.

Few people can keep up with the hot licks of Zach Top’s signature Brent Mason Telecaster, but Brett Resnick is one of them. And while both Zach Top and the rest of his band are quite young (Zach is 27), Brett Resnick is the wily veteran of the road. Simply having Smokin’ Brett in the band gives Zach Top a level of legitimacy, similar to how Ralph Mooney helped legitimize Waylon Jennings early in his career.

Recently, Nashville steel guitarist Ryan “Stiggie” Stigmon replaced Brett Resnick. “I am incredibly excited to announce that I am now playing pedal steel full-time with Zach Top!! There are so many cool things happening now and on the horizon for Zach and the band, and it’s a real honor to be a part of it,” he recently posted.

Brett Resnick said on Instagram: “My time with Zach Top has come to an end. I’m very proud of everything we’ve achieved over the years, from almost nothing to now being on the verge of superstardom. I took great pride in ensuring that the pedal steel was a force of nature and fundamental pillar every night we took the stage.

Carson Chamberlin

The great appeal of Zach Top’s music is that it sounds like something three decades removed from the present, but the music is entirely original. That means it benefits from both the nostalgia factor and the fact that it’s a hot commodity today. If there’s one asset that helped Zach Top make this happen, it’s producer Carson Chamberlin.

If you want to mine country gold from the 90s, go straight to the source. That’s what Zach Top did for his 2024 album Cold beer and country music. Who is Carson Chamberlain? He is from Berea, Kentucky and played steel guitar. He was Keith Whitley’s bandleader until the country legend’s death in 1989. Carson then served as tour manager for Alan Jackson and Clint Black. Together with Brent Mason, who also played on the Zach Top record, they helped create the ’90s country sound.

Carson Chamberlain also co-wrote every song Cold beer and country music with Zach Top.

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Also give credit to upstart independent label Leo33, which took a chance on Zach Top, which paid off big, and is putting major support behind him to push debut singles to country radio, which is an expensive proposition. Michael Doyle of Major Bob Music, who manages Zach Top, has also done a great job injecting his traditional country sound back into the mainstream.

This story has been updated.