American Musician Doyle Bramhall II - Top 5 Facts

Here are the top five facts about Renee Zellweger’s former boyfriend, American musician Doyle Bramhall II!

Renee Zellweger proved her outstanding acting talent after appearing back in the industry six years later in the 2019 biographical drama film about American singer and actress Judy Garland. Renee’s portrayal of the late singer was so impeccable and well-received that the 50 years old managed to bag both Academy and Golden Globes awards for the best performance by an actress in a leading role.

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Even with so much success in the acting industry, however, Zellweger struggled her fair share when it came to her personal life. Broken engagement with the famous comedian Jim Carrey, a failed marriage with singer Kenny Chesney that ended in annulment after only four months later and a long list of famous exes like Bradley Cooper, Zellweger got her fair share before she met Doyle Bramhall II.

Doyle Bramhall II and Renee Zellweger dated for around seven years.
Source: Pinterest

Born on December 24, 1968, the Texas-born musician Doyle Bramhall II hit the jackpot when he met the Academy winner actor in 2012. Their relationship managed to survive for seven years long, the longest one of Renee’s links to date. Here are some facts about the guitarist to help to know him better.

5. Son of the Famed Drummer Doyle Bramhall

Just as a true music enthusiast would suspect, Doyle Bramhall II is the son of the late drummer Doyle Bramhall who played for Jimmie Vaughn & Stevie Ray Vaughn. Born in Dallas in 1949, Doyle’s father began drumming with Jimmie Vaughn, the older brother of the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughn, when Doyle was still in high school.

Doyle Bramhall II's father, the drummer Doyle Bramhall.
Source: Wikipedia

Doyle’s father later included Stevie Ray Vaughn in the Nightcrawlers and co-wrote 'Dirty Pool' with him. Continuing to work with Stevie, he didn’t start recording his solo material until the 1980s. The artist gave out three solo albums before his death in 2011 at the age of 62.

4. The Heroin Addiction Caused the Blues Band Arc Angels Break-up

In the early 1990s, Bramhall co-founded a band with guitarist Charlie Sexton, drummer Chris Layton, and bassist Tommy Shannon. Named the Arc Angels, the Austin-based blues band released their hit album Arc Angels in 1992. Nevertheless, a year later, the group split-up for the first time, the result of Bramhall’s heroin addiction.

The Blues Band Arc Angels.
Source: Redbubble

In an interview with Texas Monthly, Bramhall spoke about his addiction and said,

When we started to tour, my drug use got pretty wicked. The road thing didn’t last that long, and it was starting to blow up. I started to indulge my habit more. And the more I did that, the less I wanted to do music.

The band did eventually get back together for a short time without Shannon.

3. The Right-handed Guitar Upside Down Style

The millionaire Doyle Bramhall II is a leftie, which means that his left hand is more dominant than his right. This became a significant influence on how he handles a guitar. He’s one of the few guitarists who plays with his instrument strung upside-down. He plays left-handed, but the instrument is strung upside-down with the high E on the top.

Doyle Bramhall II plays his guitar strung upside-down.
Source: RAM Entertainment

Bramhall stated the reason for his unusual choice of style in an interview with the Eastwood Guitars, saying that it just didn’t cross his mind to switch the strings instead of playing the instrument upside down. The style stuck with him as he was self-taught, and that was how he learned.

2. Previously Married to Susannah Melvoin

It wasn’t just Zellweger with a renowned personality in the list of former love interests. The guitarist himself was also tied down at a point with Susannah Melvoin, the girl that Prince wrote the song “Nothing Compares 2 U” about. Susannah’s twin sister Wendy Melvoin was a member of Prince’s backup band The Revolution, and that was probably how she met Prince; the former pair were also engaged to each other at a point.

Doyle Bramhall II was previously married to Susannah Melvoin.
Source: Discogs

Bramhall and Melvoin were married from April 1997 to April 2010, in the duration of which the couple shared two daughters, India and Elle. Post-divorce, things began going downhill for Bramhall as he found himself $300,000 in debt and line to pay his ex-wife $4,332 a month in child support and $6,378 in spousal support. His former spouse even managed to draw in Renee into the child custody battle by requesting that the actress submit her assets to prove that Bramhall lives a lavish lifestyle.

1. The Long History between Doyle Bramhall II and Renee Zellweger

When it comes to the first meetings, Doyle and Renee have a long history. The reportedly broken-up pair met back in college when Zellweger attended the University of Texas at Austin. The graduate with an arts degree in English chose drama as an elective, which sparked her interest in acting. Despite being seen together in public, both decided to keep their relationship out of the limelight for a long time.

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Zellweger confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter confessing,

We have shared history, the same mutual friends from eons ago, before either of us was doing anything public.

She added on and said that there was a familiarity between them. In her actual words, “that sense you have when you’re with someone, and you know you are home.”

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