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 on December 8, 1984, is a popular American singer and songwriter. He was born in Cedartown, Georgia. Before becoming a music star, Sam played football in high school and college. He even tried to become a professional football player. Later, in 2014, he signed with MCA Nashville to start his music career.

Before his solo success, Sam Hunt wrote songs for famous artists like Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and Reba McEntire. His first album, Montevallo, broke many records. It had five hit songs, with three reaching number one on the Hot Country Songs chart. Four songs from the album also topped the Country Airplay chart. His first single, "Leave the Night On", hit number one on both charts at the same time. This made him the first country artist in 22 years to achieve this.

Sam Hunt is known for mixing different music styles. He blends R&B and pop 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.

Sam Hunt's Early Life and Career

Growing Up and Playing Football

Sam Hunt was born on December 8, 1984, in Cedartown, Georgia. He is the oldest of three children. His dad, Allen, was an insurance agent, and his mom, Joan, was a teacher. Sam has two brothers, Ben and Van. He went to Cedartown High School and was a great 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.

Sam played as a quarterback at Middle Tennessee State University from 2003 to 2004. He later moved 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. He said he never thought he had musical talent. He just picked up a guitar one summer and decided to buy one.

His college roommates heard some of his songs and told him to perform at local bars. This was the start of his music journey. After graduating from UAB in 2007, he tried out for the Kansas City Chiefs football team in 2008. He wanted to see if he could make it as a professional football player.

Starting a Music Career

In 2008, two months after his football tryout, Sam Hunt decided to pursue music. He moved to Nashville with a friend. He surprised his family and friends with this decision.

Sam Hunt co-wrote "Come Over" for Kenny Chesney in 2012. He won an ASCAP award for this song. He also co-wrote "Cop Car" for Keith Urban and "We Are Tonight" for Billy Currington. In 2013, he released his own song, "Raised on It". He also shared a free 15-song mixtape called Between the Pines on his website. Sam also helped write "Love Somebody", the title track for Reba McEntire's album.

X2C and Montevallo Albums (2014–2016)

Sam Hunt performing live in 2014

In January 2014, Sam Hunt signed a record deal with MCA Nashville. On August 12, 2014, he released X2C, a four-song EP. This EP gave fans a taste of his upcoming first album. It reached number 36 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

His first single for MCA Nashville was "Leave the Night On". It quickly became number one on the Country Airplay chart in October 2014. The song's music video earned him two CMT Music Awards nominations. He won the CMT Breakthrough Video of the Year award. His first full album, Montevallo, came out on October 27, 2014. On the same day, he re-released Between the Pines: Acoustic Mixtape. This mixtape had acoustic versions of his hit songs.

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 his own version of "Cop Car". The second single, "Take Your Time", spent 11 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Sam Hunt became the first country artist since Clint Black to have both his first album and first single top the year-end charts.

In 2015, Sam Hunt went on his first tour called Lipstick Graffiti. Many of his shows sold out very quickly. He also opened for Lady Antebellum's Wheels Up Tour. In August 2015, Billboard magazine featured Sam Hunt. He talked about how he was changing country music. He also sang background vocals on Carrie Underwood's song "Heartbeat". On November 22, 2015, Sam Hunt won his first American Music Award for New Artist of the Year.

In September 2016, his fifth single, "Make You Miss Me", from Montevallo, hit number one on the Country Airplay chart. This made him the first solo male artist to have four number one songs from a first album.

Southside and Recent Music (2017–Present)

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

In May 2018, Sam Hunt released the single "Downtown's Dead". He also performed another new song, "Nothing Lasts Forever", from his second album. After touring with Luke Bryan, Sam took a break from social media and releasing new music.

In Calgary, he performed "Sinning with You" for the first time. He said this song would be on his next album. He also announced that a new single would come out soon, and the full album would be released in early 2020. In October 2019, Sam Hunt released "Kinfolks", his first radio single in over a year. "Sinning with You" was released in January 2020.

In February 2020, Sam Hunt announced his second album would be called Southside. It was released on April 3, 2020. He also announced his Southside Summer Tour. However, he later canceled the tour because of the coronavirus pandemic. In April 2020, Sam Hunt 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 single from Southside. In April 2021, he sang with indie pop artist Sasha Sloan on her song "When Was It Over?". In August 2021, he sang with Ingrid Andress on "Wishful Drinking". He then released his single "23" in September 2021. In 2022, he released "Water Under the Bridge" and "Start Nowhere". In 2023, he released "Outskirts" and announced his "Summer on the Outskirts" tour.

Sam Hunt's Music Style

How Sam Hunt Sings

Elias Leight from Billboard described Sam Hunt's voice as "rough" and "heartthrob." He noted that Sam's singing style is a mix of talking and fast singing. This makes him different from other country singers. When Sam sang "Make You Miss Me" live, his "husky mid-range, smooth but rugged voice" was very clear.

Who Influenced Sam Hunt

Sam Hunt's music combines elements of country, R&B, and pop. Singer Dwight Yoakam compared Sam's music to Ray Charles's album The Modern Sounds of Country Music. He said it blends soul and southern R&B. Sam's songwriting was greatly influenced by Brad Paisley. He remembers being a kid and loving Paisley's song "He Didn't Have to Be". He also looks up to Billy Currington, Usher, K-Ci & JoJo, and R. Kelly.

Songwriting and Themes

Sam Hunt told Taste of Country that he doesn't try to write songs for a specific genre. He just follows his feelings. He wants his music to sound different from others. He believes country songs are true stories about life. He thinks the sounds and beats in country music will keep changing. Billy Dukes from Taste of Country called "Break Up in a Small Town" a very unique song. He said it was Sam's "most genre-bending release to country radio."

In a 2015 interview, Sam Hunt talked about how he respects women in his music. He said that the women in his life taught him to do so. He even named his album Montevallo after his wife's hometown. He talked to her a lot about his songs. Her ideas helped him connect with both male and female listeners.

In 2018, Sam Hunt said his second album would be similar to Montevallo. But after that, he plans to return to more traditional country music. He mentioned that his music might sound more like traditional country artist Tyler Childers in the future.

Sam Hunt's Personal Life

In January 2017, Sam Hunt announced he was engaged to Hannah Lee Fowler. They 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 and their story. They got married on April 15, 2017, in his hometown of Cedartown, Georgia. In June 2022, Sam Hunt announced they had a daughter. In December 2023, he announced the birth of their son.

Discography

• Montevallo (2014)
• Southside (2020)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Sam Hunt para niños