Eric Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eric Church
Church in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Kenneth Eric Church
Born	(1977-05-03) May 3, 1977 (age 48) Granite Falls, North Carolina, U.S.
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country country rock Southern rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Capitol Nashville EMI Nashville BigEC

Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has released many albums with Capitol Nashville since 2005. His first album, Sinners Like Me (2006), had three songs that became popular on the Billboard country charts. These included "How 'Bout You", "Two Pink Lines", and "Guys Like Me".

His second album, Carolina (2009), also had three popular songs. These were "Smoke a Little Smoke", "Love Your Love the Most", and "Hell on the Heart". In 2011, his album Chief became his first album to reach No. 1. It also gave him his first two No. 1 songs: "Drink in My Hand" and "Springsteen". Other popular songs from Chief were "Homeboy", "Creepin'", and "Like Jesus Does". He also had a No. 1 song called "The Only Way I Know" with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.

In February 2014, Eric Church released his fourth album, The Outsiders. This album featured five popular songs, including the title track, "Give Me Back My Hometown", "Cold One", "Talladega", and "Like a Wrecking Ball". Both "Talladega" and "Give Me Back My Hometown" reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart. In May 2015, Church had another No. 1 hit with Keith Urban called "Raise 'Em Up". His fifth album, Mr. Misunderstood, came out in November 2015. It had two No. 1 songs: "Record Year" and "Round Here Buzz". In July 2018, Church released "Desperate Man", the first song from his album of the same name. This album, Desperate Man, was released in October 2018. In 2021, Church released a special set of three albums called Heart & Soul.

Eric Church's Early Life

Eric Church was born on May 3, 1977, in Granite Falls, North Carolina. His parents are Ken and Rita Church. When he was 13, Eric bought a guitar and started writing his own songs. By the time he was in his last year of high school, he was playing music at a local bar. He often played songs by Jimmy Buffett and some of his own. For a few years, his band, "Mountain Boys," played in bars and restaurants in North Carolina. The band included his college roommate, his brother, and another guitarist.

Before moving to Nashville, Eric finished high school at South Caldwell High School. He then went to Appalachian State University and earned a degree in marketing. After college, Church decided to follow his dream of becoming a musician. His father helped him financially and gave him time to work on his songwriting.

Eric Church's Music Career

First Albums: Sinners Like Me and Carolina (2006–2010)

Eric Church helped write songs for other artists, like Terri Clark's "The World Needs a Drink" in 2005. He started recording his own music. At first, Capitol Nashville, a record company, wasn't sure about signing him. But when he started working with producer Jay Joyce, things changed. Their strong music style convinced Capitol Nashville that he was ready. His first song, "How 'Bout You", became popular and was on his first album, Sinners Like Me. In April 2006, he performed at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time.

Other songs from his first album, "Two Pink Lines" and "Guys Like Me", also became popular. A song called "Lightning" from the album even had a music video, even though it wasn't released as a single. Church wrote "Lightning" after watching the movie The Green Mile. After his first album did well, Church went on tour with Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts. He was later replaced by Taylor Swift on the Rascal Flatts tour. Church and Swift talked, and he joked that she should give him her first gold record as a thank you. She later did, with a note thanking him.

In 2008, Church released "His Kind of Money (My Kind of Love)". This song was a bonus track on some albums. Then came "Love Your Love the Most" in 2009, which was the first song from his second album, Carolina. This album was released on March 24, 2009. The night before, Church gave copies of the album to students at his old college, Appalachian State University. Like his first album, Carolina was produced by Jay Joyce, and Church co-wrote all the songs. "Love Your Love the Most" was his first song to reach the top 10. The next song from Carolina, "Hell on the Heart", also reached the top 10. The third song was "Smoke a Little Smoke". In 2010, Church joined a new record label, EMI Records Nashville. In January 2011, he released a short album called Caldwell County.

Big Success with Chief and The Outsiders (2011–2015)

Church performing live in Albany, New York, in 2012

Church released "Homeboy" in early 2011. His album Chief, produced by Jay Joyce, came out on July 26, 2011. It quickly became No. 1 on both the Top Country Albums and Billboard 200 charts. In January 2012, "Drink in My Hand" became his first No. 1 song. In February 2012, "Springsteen" was released. Church said the song was about a love story at a concert. "Springsteen" became another No. 1 country hit and also popular on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth song from Chief, "Creepin'", was released in July 2012. Church also sang on "The Only Way I Know" with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan. The fifth song from Chief, "Like Jesus Does", was released in January 2013.

In September 2012, Church announced he would release his first live album in 2013. It was called Caught in the Act and came out on April 9. At the 2012 CMA Awards, Church's album Chief won Album of the Year. In November, it was announced that Church would tour with Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, and Eli Young Band. In December, Eric was honored as one of the CMT Artists of the Year.

On October 22, 2013, Church released a new song called "The Outsiders". His fourth album, also named The Outsiders, was released on February 11, 2014. This album was also produced by Jay Joyce. It was followed by "Give Me Back My Hometown" in January 2014, which became his fourth No. 1 song. The third song, "Cold One", came out in June 2014, and then "Talladega" in September. "Talladega" reached No. 1 in February 2015. The fifth song, "Like a Wrecking Ball", was released in March 2015.

Surprise Album and New Music (2015–Present)

On November 3, 2015, Church's new album, Mr. Misunderstood, was a surprise release for his fan club members. It became available to everyone the next day. The album was released without any big announcements. The first song, the title track, was released to radio on November 9, 2015. Church performed it for the first time at the 2015 CMA Awards. "Record Year" was the album's second song and reached No. 1 in August 2016. The album's last song, "Three Year Old", is about lessons Church learned from his son. Mr. Misunderstood was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2016 ACM Awards. In March 2016, "Record Year" was released to radio. The album's third song, "Kill a Word", was released in August 2016. Church was one of 30 artists who sang on "Forever Country", a special song celebrating 50 years of the CMA Awards.

Church had his biggest solo tour, the Holdin' My Own Tour, in 2017. He played 62 shows in 61 cities. The tour ended with two sold-out shows in Nashville, setting new attendance records. In October 2017, Church sang a song he wrote called "Why Not Me" at the Grand Ole Opry. He wrote it for Sonny Melton, who passed away in the Las Vegas shooting. In November 2017, Church released a special vinyl box set called 61 Days in Church. It included 124 live songs from his 2017 tour. On July 12, 2018, Church announced his sixth album, Desperate Man, which was released on October 5, 2018. He released the title track the next day.

On June 25, 2020, Church released "Stick That in Your Country Song", the first song from his next album. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance. On November 9, 2020, Church released "Hell of a View", which became a No. 1 song. On November 11, 2020, Church won the Entertainer of the Year award at the 54th Annual Country Music Association Awards. He sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" with Jazmine Sullivan at Super Bowl LV. On January 21, 2021, Church announced his seventh album, Heart & Soul, would be a triple album released in April 2021. This set of albums has 24 songs in total.

On October 4, 2024, Church released "Darkest Hour". He had written it before Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina. Because the song's words fit with the storm's damage and the help efforts, Church released it early. He promised all money from the song would go to help his home state. Church and Luke Combs held the "Concert for Carolina" on October 26, 2024, which raised over $24 million for Hurricane Helene relief. Church sang the song at the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards.

On March 17, 2025, Church announced "Hands of Time", the first song from his eighth album, Evangeline vs. the Machine. The album was released on May 2, 2025. On May 16, 2025, Morgan Wallen released his album I'm the Problem, which included a song with Eric Church called "Number 3 and Number 7".

Eric Church's Personal Life

Church in 2012

On January 8, 2008, Eric Church married Katherine Blasingame in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. He sang a song he wrote for her, "You Make It Look So Easy," at their wedding. Their first son, Boone McCoy Church, was born on October 3, 2011. Their second son, Tennessee Hawkins "Hawk" Church, was born on February 15, 2015. Their home in Nashville was shown on CMT's Cribs.

The Chief Cares Fund is a charity started by Eric and Katherine Church in 2013. This group helps families in need in Tennessee and North Carolina. It also helps orphans in Nepal get clothes, beds, and schooling. The foundation has also sent Bibles to Haiti and helps animal shelters that don't harm animals. People can donate to the fund on Eric Church's website or by buying special tickets to his concerts.

In November 2022, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper gave Church the North Carolina Award. This is the state's highest honor for a civilian.

Church often wears his special aviator sunglasses because the bright stage lights used to dry out his contact lenses. As he became more famous, his aviators and Von Dutch denim hat became his well-known look.

Church opened a bar, restaurant, and music place called Chief's in downtown Nashville in April 2024.

Eric Church's Musical Style

Eric Church's music is often called country rock, outlaw country, and southern rock. He has been influenced by artists like Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard, Little Feat, The Band, Kris Kristofferson, The Grateful Dead, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Waylon Jennings. Church has also said that hard rock and heavy metal bands like Metallica and AC/DC influenced his music.

Eric Church's Albums

Studio albums

• Sinners Like Me (2006)
• Carolina (2009)
• Chief (2011)
• The Outsiders (2014)
• Mr. Misunderstood (2015)
• Desperate Man (2018)
• Heart & Soul (2021)
• Evangeline vs. the Machine (2025)

Eric Church's Tours

Headlining Tours

• Jägermeister Country Tour (2010)
• Blood, Sweat and Beers Tour (2012–13)
• The Outsiders World Tour (2014–15)
• Holdin' My Own Tour (2017)
• Double Down Tour (2019)
• Gather Again Tour (2021–22)
• Outsiders Revival Tour (2023)
• Free the Machine Tour (2025)

Eric Church's Band Members

Current members

• Eric Church – lead singer, guitar, banjo, piano
• Driver Williams – lead guitar
• Jeff Cease – guitar
• Jeff Hyde – guitar, banjo, background vocals
• Lee Hendricks – bass guitar
• Craig Wright – drums
• Jay Joyce – music production
• Joanna Cotten - vocals (2013–2022, 2025 - current)

Eric Church's Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Eric Church para niños