Sam Hunt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sam Hunt
Hunt performing at C2C Festival in London's O2 Arena, 2015
Background information
Birth name	Sam Lowry Hunt
Born	(1984-12-08) December 8, 1984 (age 40) Cedartown, Georgia, U.S.
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country country pop R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2008–present
Labels	MCA Nashville

Sam Lowry Hunt (born December 8, 1984) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He was born in Cedartown, Georgia. Before becoming a famous musician, Sam played football in high school and college. He even tried to become a professional football player. In 2014, he signed with MCA Nashville to start his music career.

Before his own songs became hits, Sam Hunt wrote songs for other popular artists. These included Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Billy Currington, and Reba McEntire. His first album, Montevallo, was very successful. It broke many records and had five hit songs. Three of these songs reached number one on the Hot Country Songs chart. Four songs from the album topped the Country Airplay chart.

The first song from Montevallo, "Leave the Night On", was number one on both Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay at the same time. This made Sam the first country artist in 22 years to achieve this. He was also the first country artist since Clint Black to have both the top album and top song of the year with Montevallo and "Take Your Time". The fifth song from the album, "Make You Miss Me", also reached number one on the Country Airplay chart. This made Sam the first male solo artist to have four number one hits from a first album.

Since he started his music career, Sam Hunt has been recognized for mixing different music styles. He often combines R&B and pop sounds into his country songs. He has won many awards, including an American Music Award and a CMT Music Award. He has also been nominated for Billboard Music Awards and Grammy Awards.

Life and Career Journey

Early Life and Football Days

Sam Hunt was born on December 8, 1984, in Cedartown, Georgia. He is the oldest of three children. His father, Allen, was an insurance agent, and his mother, Joan, was a teacher. Sam has two brothers, Ben and Van.

He went to Cedartown High School and was a talented football player. In 2002, he was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year. He was also chosen for the Georgia Sportswriters Association All-State team. He was even nominated for the Wendy's High School Heisman award.

Sam played as a quarterback at Middle Tennessee State University from 2003 to 2004. He later transferred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2005. At UAB, he studied philosophy and later earned a business degree in economics. After football practice, he would teach himself to play the acoustic guitar.

Sam said he never thought of himself as a musician at first. He just picked up a guitar one summer when he had free time. His college roommates heard the songs he wrote and encouraged him to perform at local bars. This was the beginning of his music career.

After graduating from UAB in 2007, Sam tried out for the Kansas City Chiefs, a professional football team. However, he decided to pursue music instead. In 2008, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with a friend to start his journey in music.

Sam co-wrote "Come Over", a hit song for Kenny Chesney in 2012. He received an ASCAP award for this song. He also helped write "Cop Car" for Keith Urban and "We Are Tonight" for Billy Currington. Both songs were released in 2014.

In September 2013, Sam released his own song, "Raised on It". In October 2013, he shared a free 15-song collection called Between the Pines on his website. He also co-wrote "Love Somebody", the title song for Reba McEntire's album.

2014–2016: X2C and Montevallo Success

Sam Hunt performing in 2014

In January 2014, Sam Hunt officially signed a music contract with MCA Nashville. On August 12, 2014, he released X2C, a short album with four songs. This was a preview of his first full album. X2C quickly became popular, reaching number 36 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It also hit number five on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Sam's first song with MCA Nashville was "Leave the Night On". It became a number one hit on the Country Airplay chart in October 2014. The song also earned a Platinum certification, meaning it sold over a million copies. The music video for "Leave the Night On" won the CMT Breakthrough Video of the Year award.

His first full album, Montevallo, came out on October 27, 2014. On the same day, Sam also re-released Between the Pines: Acoustic Mixtape. This mixtape featured acoustic versions of his popular songs, including those he wrote for other artists. This re-release was a special gift to fans for the one-year anniversary of Montevallo.

On November 5, 2014, Montevallo debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart. It also reached number three on the US Billboard 200. The album sold 70,000 copies in its first week. It included Sam's own version of "Cop Car".

The second song from the album, "Take Your Time", reached number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100. This song stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 11 weeks. This made Sam one of only a few artists in the chart's history to have a song at number one for 10 weeks or more. With Montevallo and "Take Your Time", Sam became the first country artist since Clint Black to have both his first album and first single top the year-end charts.

Five days after Montevallo was released, Sam announced his first tour, called Lipstick Graffiti. Many of the tickets for this tour sold out very quickly. In 2015, he also opened for Lady Antebellum's Wheels Up Tour, along with Hunter Hayes.

Sam Hunt was featured in Billboard magazine in August 2015. He talked about how he was changing traditional country music. He also sang background vocals on Carrie Underwood's song "Heartbeat" in October 2015. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Montevallo, Between the Pines was re-released on October 27, 2015. It reached number 31 on the US Billboard 200. On November 22, 2015, Sam won his first American Music Award for New Artist of the Year.

By September 10, 2016, Sam's fifth song from Montevallo, "Make You Miss Me", hit number one on the Country Airplay chart. This made him the first male solo artist to have four number one songs from a first album.

2017–Present: Southside and New Music

On February 1, 2017, Sam Hunt released "Body Like a Back Road". This song became his biggest hit. In March 2017, while on tour, Sam introduced a new song called "Drinkin' Too Much". He wrote this song about his relationship with Hannah Lee Fowler, who later became his wife.

In May 2018, Sam released the song "Downtown's Dead". He also performed another new song, "Nothing Lasts Forever", at live shows. This song was planned for his second album.

Sam took a break from social media and releasing new music after touring with Luke Bryan. At an event in Calgary, Sam performed "Sinning with You" for the first time. He announced that this song would be on his upcoming album. He also said that another song from the new album would be released soon, and the full album would come out in early 2020. In October 2019, Sam released "Kinfolks", his first new song on the radio in over a year. "Sinning with You" was released in January 2020.

In February 2020, Sam announced that his second album would be called Southside. It was released on April 3, 2020. He also announced his Southside Summer Tour with Kip Moore, Travis Denning, and Ernest. However, the tour was later canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. On April 25, 2020, Sam was featured on a remix of rapper Breland's song "My Truck".

In October 2020, "Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90s" was released as the fifth song from Southside to country radio. In April 2021, Sam joined indie pop singer Sasha Alex Sloan on her song "When Was It Over?". They wrote the song together with other writers. In August 2021, he sang with Ingrid Andress on "Wishful Drinking". He then released his own song "23" in September 2021.

In 2022, Sam released the song "Water Under the Bridge" and a promotional song called "Start Nowhere". In 2023, he released a new song, "Outskirts". He also announced his "Summer on the Outskirts" tour.

Music Style and Influences

Sam Hunt's Voice

Elias Leight, a writer for Billboard, described Sam Hunt's voice in studio recordings as "rough" and "heartthrob". He noted that Sam's live singing sometimes sounded different. Leight praised Sam's unique way of singing, which mixes talking and fast singing. This style makes him stand out from other country singers. When Sam performed "Make You Miss Me" live, his "husky mid-range, smooth but rugged voice" was very clear.

Musical Inspirations

Sam Hunt's music combines elements of country, R&B, and pop. Dwight Yoakam, another musician, compared Sam's music to Ray Charles's album The Modern Sounds of Country Music. He said Sam's music brings new listeners to country music.

Sam's songwriting was greatly influenced by Brad Paisley. Brad's early song "He Didn't Have to Be" had a big impact on Sam when he was a kid. Sam also looks up to Billy Currington, Usher, K-Ci & JoJo, R. Kelly, Ginuwine, and Alice Cooper as musical influences.

Songwriting and Themes

Sam Hunt told Taste of Country that he doesn't try to write songs for a specific music style. He just follows his feelings. He wants his music to sound different from others. He said, "I try to zig when other people zag," like in football. He believes country songs are honest stories about life, and their sounds will keep changing.

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country described Sam's song "Break Up in a Small Town" as very detailed and unique. He said the song showed how Sam mixes different music styles. Dukes added that the song's story is "deep and emotional and sincere," which is what people expect from a great country song.

In a 2015 interview with Billboard, Sam talked about how he respects women in his music. He said, "Respect for women was a very important part of my upbringing." He named his album Montevallo after his wife's hometown, Hannah Lee Fowler. He often talked to her about his songs to make sure they connected with female listeners.

In June 2018, Sam mentioned that his second album would be similar to Montevallo. However, he also said that after that album, he planned to return to a more traditional country sound. He said his music might eventually sound more like traditional country artist Tyler Childers.

Personal Life

In January 2017, it was announced that Sam Hunt was engaged to Hannah Lee Fowler. Sam and Hannah had been dating on and off since 2008. Hannah was the main inspiration for his album Montevallo. His song "Drinkin' Too Much" also mentions her name and their story. They were married on April 15, 2017, in Sam's hometown of Cedartown, Georgia.

In June 2022, Sam announced that he and Hannah had welcomed their daughter. In December 2023, he shared the news of their son's birth.

Discography

• Montevallo (2014)
• Southside (2020)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Sam Hunt para niños