50 facts about country music singer and songwriter Eric Church

Eric was honored as one of the CMT Artists of the Year Awards; his award was presented by Kid Rock and he received a video message of congratulations from Metallica's James Hetfield. Learn 50 things about Eric Church.

1. Kenneth Eric Church, known professionally as Eric Church, is an American country music singer and songwriter.

2. Signed to Capitol Records since 2005, he has since released a total of four studio albums for that label.

3. His debut album, 2006's Sinners Like Me, produced four singles on the Billboard country charts including the Top 20 hits "How 'Bout You", "Two Pink Lines", and "Guys Like Me".

4. 2011's Chief, his first No. 1 album, gave him his first two No. 1 singles, "Drink in My Hand" and "Springsteen", and the hits "Homeboy", "Creepin'", and "Like Jesus Does".

5. His third No. 1 single was "The Only Way I Know", which he, Jason Aldean, and Luke Bryan recorded for Aldean's album Night Train.

6. A fourth album, The Outsiders, was released in February 2014.

7. His songs "Talladega" and "Give Me Back My Hometown" each reached number one on the Country Airplay chart.

8. Eric Church got his sixth No. 1 hit with Keith Urban in May 2015 with the single "Raise 'Em Up".

9. Church was born on May 3, 1977 in Granite Falls, North Carolina.

10. At 13, he bought a guitar and began writing songs of his own.

11. By his senior year of high school, he had found a gig at a local bar, which occupied most of his time. He played many Jimmy Buffett cover songs and a few of his own original songs in some dive bars. Some of these places were so rough that he got into a few altercations from the stage.

12. For a few years, the band played often in bars and restaurants throughout North Carolina.

13. The band "Mountain Boys" consisted of his college roommate, brother, and a fellow guitarist.

14. Before moving to Nashville, Eric graduated from South Caldwell High School and then Appalachian State University with a degree in business.

15. Upon graduation, Church became engaged with a Spanish teacher in the town of Lenoir, North Carolina.

16. The future bride's father attempted to persuade Eric into a corporate career, which he rejected as an aspiring musician. She broke the engagement and he headed to Nashville with his father's financial backing.

17. His father also provided the opportunity to make contacts, and more importantly, time to focus on developing his songwriting ability .

18. On January 8, 2008, Church married music publisher Katherine Blasingame in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

19. On October 3, 2011, they welcomed their first son, Boone McCoy Church, and on February 15, 2015, their second son, Tennessee Hawkins "Hawk" Church was born.

20. Their home (along with Eric's "man cave"), located in Nashville, was featured in an episode of CMT's Cribs.

21. Church wears his signature aviator sunglasses as a result of wearing contact lenses.

22. As he began performing in larger venues, his aviators and Von Dutch denim trucker hat became his signature trademark.

23. Eric's style has been described as country rock, outlaw country, and southern rock.

24. Church's influences include Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard, Little Feat, The Band, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings.

25. Eric has also claimed that many hard rock and heavy metal bands influenced his music, including Metallica, Pantera, and AC/DC.

26. Church co-wrote Terri Clark's 2005 single "The World Needs a Drink", and the track "Whiskey Wings" on Dean Miller's 2005 album Platinum.

27. He started recording with different producers. Capitol Nashville showed an interest and watched him perform but they were yet to be convinced enough to offer a recording contract.

28. Autumn House-Tallant told HitQuarters that they didn't think the music was interesting enough. The record company's attitude changed after he started working with producer Jay Joyce.

29. Doyle states, "Eric scored a meeting with Nashville heavyweight Arthur Buenahora, a publisher at Sony Music who also signed Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert. Church played him "Lightning", a ballad he wrote after watching the movie The Green Mile".

30. The strong sound and direction the two forged together finally convinced Capitol Nashville that he was ready.

31. His first single, "How 'Bout You" peaked at No. 14 on Hot Country Songs and led off his debut album Sinners Like Me.

32. In April 2006, he performed on the Grand Ole Opry for the first time.

33. The album's other two singles, "Two Pink Lines" and "Guys Like Me", both reached the Top 20 as well.

34. Church wrote the song shortly after moving to Nashville, inspired by the movie The Green Mile.

35. Following the album's success, Church toured with Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts.

36. His second album Carolina was produced by Jay Joyce, and is entirely composed of songs that he co-wrote.

37. "Love Your Love the Most" brought Church to the top 10 for the very first time, peaking at No. 10 in September 2009. The album's second single, "Hell on the Heart", debuted in October 2009 and would also hit the top 10 in May 2010.

38. In June 2010 he moved to Capitol Nashville's new imprint EMI Records Nashville, becoming their second artist.

39. On January 14, 2011, he released a four song EP entitled Caldwell County.

40. Church released "Homeboy" to country radio in early 2011. The album Chief was released July 26, 2011, debuting at No. 1 on both Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200. The album sold 145,000 copies in its first week.

41. On November 30, 2011, Chief was announced as a nominee for the 2012 Grammy Awards for Best Country Album.

42. In January 2012 "Drink in My Hand" became his first No. 1 single.

43. In February 2012, "Springsteen" was released as the third single from Chief. In an interview with American Songwriter, Church stated that the song was about "a love affair that takes place in an amphitheater between two people. It didn't happen with Springsteen, ironically, it happened with another artist."

44. Church lent his vocals for a song titled, "The Only Way I Know", with Jason Aldean along Luke Bryan. This song appears on Aldean's album Night Train, from which it was released as the second single.

45. In September 2012, Church announced that he planned to release his first live album in 2013, containing recordings of performances at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on October 8 and 9, 2012.

46. On February 8, the live album's title was announced as Caught in the Act, with a release date set for April 9.

47. Church has stated he plans to take some time off from music in 2013 to focus on his songwriting and musical direction.

48. At the 2012 CMA Awards in November, Church's album Chief won Album of The Year.

49. In November it was announced that Church would co-headline Kenny Chesney's No Shoes Nation Tour alongside Chesney, Zac Brown Band, and Eli Young Band.

50. In December, Eric was honored as one of the CMT Artists of the Year Awards; his award was presented by Kid Rock and he received a video message of congratulations from Metallica's James Hetfield. His latest and fourth studio album, titled The Outsiders, was released on February 11, 2014.

Source: Wikipedia.org