Country singer-songwriter Eric Church began singing as a child. At 13, he started writing songs, later teaching himself to play guitar. While attending college at Appalachian State, he formed a band, the Mountain Boys. After graduating with a degree in marketing, he moved to Nashville. It took him a year to get a song publishing deal with Sony/ATV Tree, after which he started getting his songs recorded by other artists, an example being Terri Clark's version of "The World Needs a Drink." He met producer Jay Joyce, and they began making demos. That led to his being signed by Capitol Records Nashville. His debut single, "How 'Bout You," was released in early 2006, and it had reached the country Top 20 by the time Capitol released his first album, Sinners Like Me, on July 18, 2006. The album was both a critical and commercial success, and Church followed it up with Carolina in 2009. That album was certified gold in May 2011. Also in 2011, the Academy of Country Music dubbed Church its top new solo vocalist. 2011's Chief, his first No. 1 album, includes the singles "Homeboy" and "Drink In My Hand," which became his first No. 1 single in January 2012. "Springsteen" became his second No. 1 single in June 2012. He dropped Mr. Misunderstood in 2015. Eric Church continues to perform all over the country.