In recognition of his standing as one of country music’s most innovative talents, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has invited 10-time Grammy nominee Eric Church to be its 18th artist-in-residence.
The museum’s annual artist-in-residence series spotlights an artist with an exemplary body of work and asks the featured artist to create one-of-a-kind performances over multiple evenings. The museum offers its intimate CMA Theater as a blank canvas, with the understanding that the artist will curate shows that inspire appreciation for their talents and vision – often incorporating different themes and special guests.
Church will produce and perform two shows, on Tuesday, Aug. 29, and Wednesday, Aug. 30, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets to each performance range from $75 to $500 (plus ticketing fees) with all proceeds benefiting the nonprofit museum’s educational mission. Museum members and Eric Church’s “Church Choir” fan club will have access to a special presale this Thursday, June 22, at 10 a.m. Tickets to both shows will be available to the public this Friday, June 23, at 10 a.m., on the museum’s website. Sales are limited to four tickets per transaction on a first-come, first-served basis and are non-refundable.
Church joins a prestigious group of past participants that includes 10 members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Cowboy Jack Clement opened the series in 2003, and other past honorees include (in chronological order) Earl Scruggs, Tom T. Hall, Guy Clark, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, Buddy Miller, Connie Smith, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson, Rosanne Cash, Jason Isbell, Miranda Lambert, Marty Stuart and John Prine.
“Throughout his career, Eric has constantly stretched boundaries with his music and challenged long-standing conventions in his recordings and his live performances,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “Our artist-in-residence series offers him the freedom to showcase his ever-evolving creative vision. We’re grateful to him for volunteering his time and fierce individualism to the series, which benefits the museum and its nonprofit mission.”
“As a student of the rich history of country music’s most prolific artists, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is a shrine of reverence for this songwriter’s heart,” shared Church. “I’m honored and humbled to be included in such esteemed company.”
Cultivating a sound and approach uniquely his own, Church has held tight to his artistic identity throughout his more than two decades in Nashville, earning a devoted audience and amassing an impressive list of accolades, including 10 Billboard #1 country radio hits and multiple gold, platinum and multi-platinum-certified albums. With songwriting always at the center of his career, Church has written or co-written almost all of the songs he has recorded and released. He continues to fill sold-out venues with his raucous live show, and he challenges his own musical approach with every new level of success he achieves.
In addition to serving as 2023 artist-in-residence, Church will also be the subject of a new exhibition at the museum exploring the life and career of the CMA Entertainer of the Year winner. Eric Church: Country Heart, Restless Soul, presented by Gibson, opens July 13 and will chronicle Church’s unique path to stardom, from his early years playing late-night gigs in bars and writing songs in Nashville to his prominence as one of country music’s most authentic voices and revered rule-breakers. The exhibit is included with museum admission and will run until June 2024.
The artist-in-residence announcement comes ahead of the kickoff of Church’s The Outsiders Revival Tour this Thursday, June 22. The first fully outdoor tour of his career will feature a rotating lineup of emerging artists across varying dates, Whiskey Myers, Cody Jinks, Jelly Roll, Ashley McBryde, Koe Wetzel, Lainey Wilson, Midland, Parker McCollum, Travis Tritt, Elle King and Paul Cauthen, plus Jackson Dean, Morgan Wade, Muscadine Bloodline, Shane Smith & The Saints, Hailey Whitters, Ray Wylie Hubbard and The Red Clay Strays.
For more information, visit www.ericchurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter @ericchurch and Instagram @ericchurchmusic.
Photo by: Anthony D'Angio
