Zack Mannino
Zack Mannino's path to live music didn't start in a Nashville songwriting room — it started in a Pentecostal church, where he grew up singing and playing piano and drums. That was his musical world all the way through high school. Then it disappeared. He left for college, then joined the Air Force, and for over a decade, music took a back seat to a full-time military career.
That changed in 2017, when the Air Force stationed him in South Georgia. Zack started hanging around musician friends, and in 2019 he bought a pawn shop guitar and taught himself to play. His first gig came in August 2020 — with a repertoire of about 25 songs, all kept in a three-ring binder in sheet protectors.
In 2021, another Air Force move took him to North Dakota. Instead of putting music on hold again, Zack decided to go after it seriously. He played the state fair and Norsk Høstfest, opened for Tigirlily in Fargo, and made it to the finals of the state's "Hometown Sound" competition.
By April 2023, Zack made the call that changed everything: after 12 years of service, he chose not to re-enlist. He was roughly seven years from retirement and a top performer in his career field — the kind of track record most people don't walk away from. He did it anyway, to go all in on music full-time.
Two months later, in June 2023, he landed his biggest opportunity yet: opening for Joe Nichols in West Virginia. Today, Zack plays 3 to 5 gigs a week across the Southeast and heads to Nashville three or four days a month to write.
Leaving the military wasn't the hard part for Zack — explaining it was. Friends and family struggled to understand why someone so close to retirement, with a career most people would envy, would walk into the uncertainty of music. A year out, he knows he made the right call. But he's honest that it's not always easy. The military gave him a clear mission and a bigger picture to work toward. Now, that responsibility is on him alone — waking up every day and making sure he's doing something to move his music career forward, even when he questions whether it's enough.
Off stage, Zack holds himself to a standard that sets him apart in the industry. Venues and veteran artists alike have told him it's rare for a performer not to drink or use substances while playing. For Zack, staying clear-headed isn't optional — it's about being able to make sound decisions on stage and off, no matter what comes up.
That work ethic traces back to his childhood. His dad ran restaurants, and Zack grew up in them — starting as a dishwasher and working his way up to running a full shift by age 16, handling payroll, truck orders, and scheduling along the way. Watching his parents put in that kind of work left its mark. He didn't have a choice but to learn it too.
From church pews to pawn shop guitars to opening for major country acts, Zack Mannino's story is one of betting on himself — and showing up, night after night, to prove it was worth it.
