The Untold Truth Of Eric Church

In 2016, Eric Church was among the artists on the bill for a 2016 tribute concert honoring singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. Ahead of his performance, Church told an emotional story about how one of Kristofferson's songs played a pivotal role at a time when he feared his dream of a music career had fizzled. 

"Like a lot of people that get told 'no' a lot, I played that game where, if I got told 'no' one more time, 'I'm outta here. I'm packing up. I'm going back to North Carolina,'" he shared with the audience. He went on to recall a devastating meeting with a music publisher. "He goes, 'I don't know where you're from, I don't know much about you, but I'd go back there,'" Church continued.

As he drove away, feeling discouraged, Kristofferson's 1970 track "To Beat the Devil," a story-song about a struggling Nashville songwriter ready to pack it in, came on the car stereo. "It talked about the very thing that I was going through. I decided to stay one more day— after I got drunk first ... And the next day I got a publishing deal," he revealed. "I'm here because of that man right there," he added, referencing Kristofferson.   

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