Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
All Music Guide:
Country singer/songwriter/guitarist Eric Church grew up in Granite Falls, NC, and began singing as a child. At 13, he started writing songs, later teaching himself to play guitar. While attending college at Appalachian State, he formed a band, the Mountain Boys, that played around western North Carolina. After graduating with a degree in marketing, he moved to Nashville, TN, to pursue a career in country music. It took him a year to get a song publishing deal with Sony/ATV Tree, after which he started getting his songs recorded by other artists, an example being Terri Clark's version of "The World Needs a Drink." He met producer Jay Joyce, who took an interest in him as a recording artist, and they began making demos. That led to his being signed by Capitol Records Nashville. His debut single, "How 'Bout You," was released in early 2006, and it had reached the country Top 20 by the time Capitol released his first album, Sinners Like Me, on July 18, 2006. The album was both a critical and commercial success, and Church followed it up with Carolina in 2009.
Wikipedia:
Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Signed to Capitol Records in 2006, his debut album Sinners Like Me produced four singles on the Billboard country chart, including the Top 20 hits "How 'Bout You", "Two Pink Lines", and "Guys Like Me". His second album, 2009's Carolina, produced three more singles: "Smoke a Little Smoke" and his first Top 10 hits, "Love Your Love the Most" and "Hell on the Heart". 2011's Chief, his first #1 album, includes the singles "Homeboy" and "Drink in My Hand", which became his first #1 single in January 2012.
Biography
Early life
Eric Church was born and raised in Granite Falls, North Carolina. At thirteen, he bought a guitar and began writing songs of his own. 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. For a few years, the band played often in bars and restaurants throughout North Carolina. The band "Mountain Boys" consisted of his college roommate (Mark Snow), brother, and a fellow guitarist.
Before moving to Nashville, Eric Church graduated from South Caldwell High School and then Appalachian State University with a degree in marketing. Upon graduation, Church became engaged. The future bride's father attempted to persuade Eric into a corporate career, which he rejected as an aspiring musician.He broke the engagment and headed to Nashville with his father's financial backing. His father also provided the opportunity to make contacts, and more importantly, time to focus on developing his songwriting ability .
Music career
2006-2007: Sinners Like Me
Arthur Buenahora Jr. signed him to a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Tree Music Publishing. Terri Clark took "The World Needs a Drink", which he co-wrote with Casey Beathard, into the country Top 30.
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. 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. The strong sound and direction the two forged together finally convinced Capitol Nashville that he was ready. His first single, "How 'Bout You" peaked at #14 on Hot Country Songs and led off his debut album Sinners Like Me. In April 2006, he performed on the Grand Ole Opry for the first time.
The album's other two singles, "Two Pink Lines" and "Guys Like Me", both reached the Top 20 as well. The fourth single, the title track, peaked at #51. An additional track from the album, "Lightning", was made into a music video despite not being released as a single. Church wrote the song shortly after moving to Nashville, inspired by the movie The Green Mile. Following the album's success, Church toured with Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts.
2008-2010: Carolina
In 2008, Eric Church released a fifth single, "His Kind of Money (My Kind of Love)" to country radio. It debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at #55 in early 2008, and reached its peak of #46 in August. Originally slated as the lead single to an upcoming second album, "His Kind of Money" was instead included as a bonus track on albums sold at Best Buy.
Following this song was "Love Your Love the Most", which debuted in late 2008 and was the first single from his second album Carolina, released on March 24, 2009. As with his debut album, Carolina was produced by Jay Joyce, and is entirely composed of songs that he co-wrote. "Love Your Love the Most" brought Church to the top 10 for the first time, peaking at #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. The third single from "Carolina" was "Smoke A Little Smoke".
In June 2010 he moved to Capitol Nashville's new imprint EMI Records Nashville, becoming their second artist. On January 14, 2011, he released a four song EP entitled "Caldwell County".
2011-2012: Chief
Eric Church released "Homeboy" to country radio in early 2011. The album Chief was released July 26, 2011, debuting at #1 on both Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200. The album sold 145,000 copies in its first week. On November 30, 2011, Chief was announced as a nominee for the 2012 Grammy Awards for Best Country Album. In January 2012 "Drink in My Hand" became his first #1 single. In February 2012, "Springsteen" was released as the third single from Chief, and has since become a Top 10 country hit, as well as his first Top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100.
Personal life
On January 8, 2008, Church married music publisher Katherine Blasingame in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. On October 3, 2011, they welcomed son Boone McCoy Church. Their home (along with Eric's "mancave"), located in Nashville, was featured in an episode of CMT "Cribs".
