Eric Church Exhibit Coming to Country Music Hall of Fame
Visitors to Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will soon be able to walk through the life and career of Eric Church. The “Like a Wrecking Ball” singer has been tapped as the subject of the venue’s next cameo exhibition, opening September 18th.
Dubbed “Eric Church: Inside the Outsider,” the exhibit will span the musician’s childhood in North Carolina to his platinum-selling, boundary-pushing present. Artifacts hand-picked by Church will include guitars, handwritten lyrics, stage attire and personal photos, among other memorabilia.
Also sure to be on hand are at least a few awards from the singer-songwriter’s burgeoning trophy case, which started accumulating hardware in 2011 on the strength of his game-changing album, Chief. Church was already a radio success before the LP, with six of his seven singles from previous projects Sinners Like Me and Carolina reaching the Top 20. But it was Chief that made him a household name beyond country music, with the album reaching platinum sales certification, topping several critics’ lists and winning both the CMA and ACM awards for Album of the Year.
“All of a sudden we went from the act that was a couple from the headliner, to headliner, and it’s just weird,” Church told Rolling Stone last year of the status boost that accompanied Chief. “I try not to overthink it.”
A fourth studio album, The Outsiders followed in 2014, marking Church’s most sonically adventurous project to date. The rock and metal-tinged LP took home Favorite Country Album at the American Country Countdown Awards and has spawned two Number One singles (so far).
Church’s Hall of Fame spotlight follows recent exhibits celebrating Glen Campbell, Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Rogers, Miranda Lambert and most recently, Luke Bryan. “Eric Church: Inside the Outsider” runs through February 2016.