Brantley Gilbert Recalls His Rowdy High School Days

The quote beneath Brantley Gilbert's yearbook picture reads "Hey Andy!" Maybe these aren't the words most high school seniors want to leave as their legacy, but the expression says a lot about who the 'Small Town Throwdown' singer is today.

"I used to say that in class all the time," Gilbert tells Taste of Country Nights host Sam Alex. "Which is probably one of the reasons I spent a lot of time in that hallway." Fans of 'The Andy Griffith Show' probably recognize who he's quoting, and the tattooed country bad boy obliges with his best Goober impression.

Gilbert says he hasn't worn a bow tie since his high school senior photo. They made him wear it that day, but he holds nothing against those teachers and administrators. In fact, he still visits the school regularly, to work out.

"They changed the locks and Coach Thurman ... hooked me up with a key," he says. "It looks the same as it did when I walked out in 2003.

Gilbert, who plays the 2014 Taste of Country Music Festival in Hunter, N.Y. this June, brought select media to his hometown, his house and high school to promote his new 'Just As I Am' album, in stores now. The ToC Nights radio host got to shoot guns at the 'Bottoms Up' singer's property.

Sam Alex is the host of Taste of Country Nights radio, a syndicated night show which airs on more than 60 Townsquare Media Group stations nationwide.

Everything You Need to Know About 'Just As I Am' in 60 Seconds