Eric Church is featured on the cover of MusicRow‘s 2019 Touring Print Issue.
Three-time Country Music Association and six-time Academy of Country Music Award winner Church released his highly anticipated album Desperate Man, which debuted atop the Billboard Country Albums chart on Oct. 5. The album also debuted at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200, with the title track in the Top 15 and climbing at country radio. Rolling Stone calls the album “classic Church: expertly crafted and country-radio-friendly, while also pushing boundaries in a way that sounds natural and unforced” and American Songwriter notes that it “sublimates the pain of a tumultuous year into his most adventuresome album yet.” Church will return to the road in 2019 for his Double Down Tour, visiting 19 markets for back-to-back nights of unique shows to give fans 6+ hours of his iconic music in each city, plus a massive stop at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
His previous album, the 2015 RIAA Platinum-certified album Mr. Misunderstood cemented Church’s reputation as a maverick when he delivered it to fans before announcing its existence. The 2016 CMA Album of the Year produced his No. 1 “Round Here Buzz,” his anti-hate, Gold-certified “Kill A Word” and the Platinum-certified No.1, “Record Year.”
The artist that Vulture called “one of the brightest lights in any genre” took 2018 off from full-time touring for personal reflection which resulted in the masterfully introspective Desperate Man album. The forthcoming Double Down Tour follows his cross-continent, 60+–city Holdin’ My Own Tour in 2017 that was named the most-attended music tour in the world at the time by Pollstar. The double-set/sans-opener show sold out every stop, consistently staying on Billboard’s Country Boxscore chart despite cancelling more than 33,000 tickets on the secondary market to reduce ticket scalper activity. The tour hit major markets and ended with a two-night run in Nashville, breaking Bridgestone Arena’s attendance record each night. To commemorate the Holdin’ My Own Tour, Church released 61 Days In Church, a collection of 100+ live recordings released in batches. The full collection was also released as a vinyl box set, including a road case, tour book and poster.
The man New York Times said produces songs that insist music is “fuel for love, for anguish and, naturally, for other music” most recently earned the 2016 ACM Merle Haggard Spirit Award, 2016 CMA Album of the Year Award for Mr. Misunderstood and 2016 ACM Music Video of the Year Award for the album’s title track.
The North Carolina native’s 2014 album, The Outsiders, debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums Charts with the highest sales of any release in the format that year, making Church 2014’s top-selling country artist. The album garnered Grammy, CMA and ACM Album of the Year nominations and featured No. 1 hits “Give Me Back My Hometown” and “Talladega,” as well as multiple-nominee “Like A Wrecking Ball.” The Outsiders was the follow-up to Church’s 3x Platinum-certified Chief, the 2012 CMA and ACM Album of the Year, and Grammy-nominated for Best Country Album. The LP featured five Top 20 singles: “Homeboy” (certified Platinum); the Top 10 “Like Jesus Does” and the Top 5 “Creepin’” (both certified Platinum); and two No. 1 hits “Drink in My Hand” (certified Platinum) and “Springsteen” (certified Triple Platinum). Church’s 2009 sophomore album, Carolina, is Platinum certified and his 2006 debut album, Sinners Like Me, is Gold certified.
MusicRow‘s 2019 Touring Print Issue highlights all aspects of the touring business, featuring the expanded Touring Directory. The issue also includes edit highlighting MusicRow’s 2019 Next Big Thing (NBT) selections, predicting rising country stars.
MusicRow’s 5th annual NBT list highlights 11 artists, ranging from established hitmakers prepping their next moves to newcomers, ready to claim their turn in the spotlight. 2019 selections include Broken Bow’s Jimmie Allen, Big Loud Records’ Morgan Wallen, BMLG Records’ Riley Green, Black River Records’ Abby Anderson, UMG Nashville’s Jordan Davis and Kassi Ashton, Sony Music Nashville’s Mitchell Tenpenny and Rachel Wammack, Thirty Tigers’ Tyler Childers and Warner Music Nashville’s Morgan Evans and Cody Johnson.
In addition to the profiles of 11 NBT artists, the 48-page annual features exclusive editorial content, highlighting ancillary offerings of talent agencies, with Darin Murphy (CAA), Lenore Kinder (Paradigm), Greg Janese (UTA), Greg Scott (Kinkead) and Sloane Cavitt Logue (WME). Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban discusses his mega-selling Graffiti U World Tour. Additionally WME’s Becky Gardenhire offers insights to her role as Partner at the agency. Tour managers Chase Bennett and Michael Gonzalez give an inside look at their work behind their respective clients, Little Big Town and Dan + Shay. MusicRow also takes a look at the work performed by Porter’s Call and MusiCares, aimed at supporting addiction treatment on the road.
Copies of the 2019 MusicRow Touring Issue print magazine can be purchased here, or received with the purchase of a yearly MusicRow Magazine subscription.
About the Author
Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.View Author Profile
