Song:Homeboy
Album:Chief
With his third CD Chief and the single Homeboy, Country music singer songwriter Eric Church crossed over to mainstream music in a big way. He is currently headlining his own tour for the first time. Homeboy generated some controversy so some country radio stations wouldn't play it. But fans made it a big hit anyway. He was born May 3, 1977 in Granite Falls, NC. Church started writing songs as a teen and liked to cover Jimmy Buffett songs when he performed live. He led the band Mountain Boys while earning a marketing degree at Appalachian State University. After graduating, he moved to Nashville to get into the music business. He signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Tree and his song The World Needs A Drink was a top 30 country hit for Terri Clark. Capitol Nashville spotted Church but didn't think his music was interesting enough to earn him a contract. Some Jay Joyce produced demos changed their minds and Church signed in 2006. Joyce was lead singer and guitarist for the early 90s alt rock band Bedlam who were featured in the 1992 film Reservoir Dogs. When Bedlam split up, Joyce turned to Nashville session work. He not only produces Church's recordings but leads his touring band. Church's first two CDs did well in the country market. But it was with the single Homeboy and then the album Chief that Church really broke through. Church wrote Homeboy with veteran Nashville songwriter Casey Beathard. The narrative of the song has the singer warning his brother of a destructive lifestyle. The video was filmed at a prison. The controversy was the use of the word "homeboy" supposedly stereotyping the destructive lifestyle as a black urban lifestyle. Beathard wrote the lyrics when he heard his son use the word "homeboy" in conversation. The result was some country radio stations wouldn't play Homeboy and it only reached #13 on the Country Singles chart. CMT put the video in heavy rotation and the song caught on anyway. The rock backbeat and Joyce's guitar solo may have helped the song connect with non-country fans. Church finally had his first number one country single with Drink In My Hand and Bruce Springsteen also topped the country chart and was a top twenty pop hit. Chief topped the Billboard Hot 200 and the Country Album chart and was certified Gold. Eric Church and his wife have a son. He is currently on tour. I expect we will see new music from him in 2013. Here's the video for Homeboy by Eric Church.
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