Ever since Eric Church wandered into the country music industry, he never stopped captivating fans – thanks to his sincere songwriting, his country-rock production, and above all, his outlaw personality. And with each year, his musical career is going nowhere but upwards.
However, despite all his success, Church remains to be one of the artists to keep a low profile. So, we dug a little more about this country star. Check out some facts about him below.
1. He’s a native of Granite Falls, North Carolina.
Born Kenneth Eric Church on May 3, 1977, the country star spent his early years working at a furniture upholstery company, Clayton Marcus, where his father was president.
2. He has a degree in marketing.
Before he found fame as a country artist, Church earned a degree in marketing from Appalachian State University. However, he moved to Nashville right after graduating.
3. He could have been a high school basketball coach.
While that’s hard to imagine, that’s what Church said could have been his most likely alternate career path. The singer revealed that he’s a competitive person – a nature that comes from playing pretty much every sport in high school. In addition to basketball, Church also played football, baseball, and even golf.
4. He always wears sunglasses when performing.
There’s a pretty good reason you rarely see Church without sunglasses – and that’s to protect his eyes. Because the stage lights were most of the time in his field of vision while performing, he would often get dry eyes. At one point, his eyes were so dry his lenses popped out of his eyes that he ended up being blind onstage. Someone recommended he wear glasses, and it worked.
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5. He’s a married man.
In 2008, Church married music publisher Katherine Blasingame, whom he met when his career was just starting out. They welcomed their first son, Boone McCoy Church, three years later. Their youngest child, Tennessee Hawkins “Hawk” Church, followed in 2015. Fatherhood has absolutely impacted his music, with Boone being the inspiration for one of Eric Church songs.
6. He went through a health crisis that nearly took his life.
In 2017, Church underwent emergency surgery for a blood clot in his chest, where he had his top rib removed. The country star also needed to undergo physical therapy and rehab for several months. The complication was actually the result of a birth defect.
7. He’s also into the furniture business.
Church introduced the home collection called Highway to Home in 2015, which offers various styles – from rustic Western-inspired looks to Southern influences. It was made possible through a licensing deal with North Carolina-based furniture company Pulaski Furniture. Part of the proceeds from the Highway to Home line goes to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
8. He and his wife launched their charity, Chief Cares.
The foundation is already impacting lives, not only in the United States but also around the world. It has helped underprivileged families and children throughout Tennessee, as well as Church’s home state of North Carolina. Not only that, but it has also delivered help in Haiti and in an orphanage in Nepal.
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