A long history of being criminally underrated… in many ways, Eric Church is a bit of an enigma in country music. Oftentimes, he strays away from what many would consider to be classic hallmarks of the genre, including but not limited to rare uses of fiddle in many of his songs and the outright refusal to use steel guitar on many of his songs post Sinners Like Me. Despite this constant urge to push the limits and reinvent his sound, Church has remained not only one of the best artists in the genre over the two decades but also one of the most important, influencing megastars like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs as well as alternative country standouts such as Carter Faith, Charles Wesley Godwin, Colby Acuff and more. When you actually take a look at his career accolades, it’s not quite as robust as you might think. Sure, he finally won his long-awaited CMA Entertainer of the Year Award in 2020, along with a double-up Album of the Year win at the ACMs and CMAs for Chief years before. With that being said, however, he’s never been an awards show darling like Chris Stapleton, Lainey Wilson or Miranda Lambert. Looking at his overall career chart-wise, it’s even more shocking. Despite being recognized as one of the best and most influential country artists of the 21st century, the “Springsteen” singer only has seven solo #1 hits on both of Billboard’s country charts (Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay). It should be noted that he has 11 in total if you count his four collaborative #1 singles: “The Only Way I Know” with Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean, “Raise ‘Em Up” with Keith Urban, “Does To Me” with Luke Combs and most recently, “Man Made A Bar” with Morgan Wallen. Even if you boost the total with collaborations, it still feels shockingly low for an artist of Church’s stature. Of course, you can chalk most of it up to him not playing the radio game, focusing on albums over singles and generally doing whatever he wants artistically, but it still had me thinking about which tracks were the most slept-on from a chart-perspective. Without further ado, here are the 10 most shocking songs from Eric Church that never went #1. “Round Here Buzz” For all intents and purposes, “Round Here Buzz” has been one of Church’s most popular songs to date, having over 130 million streams on Spotify alone, a 2x platinum certification from the RIAA and constant placement on his setlist night in and night out. Despite this, it fell just short of going #1, peaking at #2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. In case you were wondering what blocked it, it was Russell Dickerson’s “Yours” (out of all the songs…) Peak Chart Position: #2 (Country Airplay) “Like A Wrecking Ball” Another track that has remained quite popular over the years, “Like A Wrecking Ball” is another Top 10 most-streamed song for the Chief that never got the love it deserved upon its release. Despite a 3x platinum certification, it only peaked at #6 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Peak Chart Position: #6 (Hot Country Songs) “Homeboy” More than likely, “Homeboy’s” low chart placement (#13 on Hot Country Songs) can be blamed on it being the lead single from Chief before it caught fire with its preceding singles, “Springsteen” and “Drink In My Hand.” Either way, #13 feels shockingly low considering it’s still a setlist staple for Church til this day. Peak Chart Position: #13 (Hot Country Songs) “Desperate Man” Being the lead single off his Grammy-nominated album of the same name, I’ve always viewed “Desperate Man” as one of the Chief’s most underrated radio singles. The Rolling Stones-inspired track may have been too rock-inspired for the boyfriend-country era in 2018, however, only peaking at #8 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Peak Chart Position: #8 (Hot Country Songs) “Heart On Fire” To me, “Heart On Fire” seemed like a guaranteed #1 hit for Church. Coming off the heels of his last solo #1, “Hell of a View,” it had a summertime vibe that felt perfect for radio at the time. Despite this, it didn’t receive much love on either Billboard chart, peaking at #12 on Hot Country Songs and #5 on Country Airplay. Peak Chart Position: #5 (Country Airplay) “Kill A Word” Given the timely nature of the song’s release near the 2016 presidential election, it felt like “Kill A Word” was another track that was destined to go #1. Despite its timely nature and popularity til this day, it only peaked at #6 on Country Airplay. Peak Chart Position: #6 (Country Airplay) “Like Jesus Does” As Chief’s final single, “Like Jesus Does” served as the album’s only love ballad to go to radio, and it has all the makings of a mainstream country hit. But much like “Kill A Word,” it also only peaked at #6 on Country Airplay. Peak Chart Position: #6 (Country Airplay) “Love Your Love The Most” Church has gone on record saying that “Love Your Love The Most” was his best attempt at trying to play the radio game and releasing a more cookie-cutter song to radio. Though it seemed like a good plan on paper, and “Love Your Love The Most” wipes the floor with most of country radio, the track shockingly only peaked at #10 on Hot Country Songs in 2009. It did, however, become his first Top 10 hit. Peak Chart Position: #10 (Hot Country Songs) “Creepin'” Coming directly off the heels of “Springsteen” and “Drink In My Hand,” “Creepin'” was Chief’s fourth single. Despite being a fan-favorite, one that has stood the test of time, the track was probably a bit too eclectic for radio and wound up peaking at #5 on Country Airplay. Peak Chart Position: #5 (Country Airplay) “Russian Roulette” Though this falls a bit into honorable mention territory due to it never being released to radio, “Russian Roulette” was always envisioned to be a single off his first installment of the 2021 triple album, Heart & Soul. There was only one catch: the word Russian. Just a day before he was planning on releasing the track to radio, Russia invaded Ukraine, and if you can remember at the time, stores were pulling Russian vodka and anything associated with Russia from their shelves, bars were renaming “White Russians,” and pretty much the entire world (for the most part) was condemning Russia and their attack. All of a sudden, anything that mentioned Russia was off limits – and Church had to pull the song. This recently came to light this past October at a show in Grand Rapids, where he recalled his disappointment at not being able to send the song to radio: “This next song we’ve not done on this tour. It was my favorite song off the Heart project, ‘Heart & Soul.’ It was going to be a radio single, I think it’s a hit. And the night before we were going to release it, THE night before, Russia invaded Ukraine, and all of a sudden, anything that had Russia in it was not awesome. So I always send this out to Vladimir. He can f–king spin on it.” Incredibly understandable, but it’s a shame the track never got its shot, given it had #1 hit written all over it. Peak Chart Position: N/A And honestly, that’s just some of them… The entire Sinner Like Me album, including singles “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” “Sinners Like Me,” and “Guys Like Me” failed to crack the Top 10. Another radio-friendly song from Carolina, “Hell On The Heart,” topped out at #10, the title track and lead single to The Outsiders hit #6, and “Cold One,” which should’ve fit right in with the bro-country drinkin’ tunes of 2014, couldn’t get past #20 on the country charts. And there’s even more… We all know that mainstream country radio leaves a lot to be desired, but one look at Eric Church’s discography, and his chart success, and well, it’s downright criminal.The post 10 Eric Church Songs That Shockingly Never Went #1 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Never hurts to have a backup (or dozens of backups) of your favorite shirt. Luke Combs may not have planned it out, but he made his country music star life a breeze by breaking onto the scene wearing a fishing shirt and sticking with it. Specifically, a black Bahama 2 Columbia PFG shirt, which he actually sells on his merchandise shop. I bet you’ve never really thought about that, but picture it for a moment if you will. If Luke Combs is performing, he’s probably wearing a black fishing shirt, and that’s not by mistake. At this point, that’s the way people expect to see Combs, so he’s leaned into the style and made the PFG shirt synonymous with his career. He’s even related his on-stage fashion to the late-great Steve Jobs, who famously wore the exact same outfit every day because it was one less decision he had to make. Luke Combs sticks with the Columbia PFG shirt because it’s comfortable, and because he doesn’t even have to think about it. In a recent interview with GQ, the country music superstar said the item is one of the 10 things he can’t live without, and explained why he chose the Columbia PFG shirt as his go-to: “If you were gonna see me perform, would I be wearing a hat? Yes. Would I be wearing this (black shirt)? Yes, I would be. It’s a big, boxy, big guy shirt. Some people, when they think of me, they probably think of this shirt in a lot of ways. This is a shirt that I’ve been wearing for years. I was wearing these in college. It was really just born out of comfort. I was wearing these shirts playing shows because I was comfortable in them as a bigger guy. I thought they looked nice. They’re super breathable, which is great for stage. They don’t get overly drenched with sweat or water or beer or whatever liquid may be flying around stage.”  Comfortable, breathable, practical… it simply checks all of the boxes. And Luke Combs also provided an answer to a question that he says he gets all of the time: How many of the exact same Columbia shirt does the “Beautiful Crazy” singer own? Being that it’s his go-to shirt while touring, and Combs has been known to go out on the road for a while, the country star says he’s got a plethora of Columbia PFGs: “People always ask me, ‘How many shirt do you have? Do you just have one?’ I’m (sarcastically) like, ‘Yes, I just have one shirt that I wear all the time that I wash. No, I have, I mean 50 of these, at least.” One of them was even featured in his Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit. Combs went on to say that when he first started wearing the black Columbia PFG shirt, it was the worst selling color for the brand. Now, it’s the best selling color. Combs likes to think he helped out Columbia “at least 1%,” and I think it’s safe to say that aided the clothing brand much more than that. The post “People Always Ask Me”: Luke Combs Reveals The Insane Amount Of Black Columbia PFG Fishing Shirts He Owns first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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Cody Jinks is not mincing his words. Over the weekend, the highly anticipated They Called Us Outlaws documentary series made its debut at SXSW in Austin, Texas, in the form of a Waylon Jennings-centric, 90-minute pilot, titled “The Prologue – Waylon, The Dillo, and That Outlaw Bit”. Directed by Eric Geadelmann and Kelly Magelky, the six-part, 12 hour series promised to give a detailed look into the ever-important “Outlaw” movement, which took country music by storm in the late 60s and early 70s. While, of course, the movement was made famous by the likes of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, there were countless other artists and unsung heroes at the time, ranging from the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Jessi Colter, who produced They Called Us Outlaws, Guy Clark, Tom T. Hall, Billy Joe Shaver, Tompall Glazer and many more. With Jessi Colter, Kris Kristofferson, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Tyler Childers, Billy Joe Shaver, The Flatlanders, Tony Brown, Leon Russell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Bobby Bare, Marcia Ball, Michael Martin Murphey, Billy F. Gibbons, Kimmie Rhodes, Delbert McClinton, Robert Earl Keen, Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Parker McCollum, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Chris Shiflett, Ashley McBryde, Turnpike Troubadours, and more all set to be featured in the documentary, the hype surrounding it has been through the roof since it was announced. Given the anticipation of They Called Us Outlaws and the fact that a cornerstone album in the outlaw movement, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Jessi Colter’s Wanted: The Outlaws, celebrated its 50th anniversary on January 12th, Billboard released an article on March 10th titled, “How ‘Wanted! The Outlaws’ Became Country’s First Platinum Album — And A Movement For Outsiders.” The article, which was written by Tom Roland, editor of the Billboard Country Update since 2010 and creator of the popular country database RolandNote.com, celebrates the album and movement with anecdotes from the likes of Ronnie Dunn, Josh Osborne (of Brothers Osborne), Steve Earle, Jessi Colter and more. Ultimately, Roland made a fatal flaw with his modern-day comparisons later in the article, listing the likes of Luke Combs, Corey Kent, Zach Bryan, Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert (among others) as “modern-day outlaws.” An excerpt reads as follows: “[Steve] Earle, with his gruff “Guitar Town,” revived the outlaw vibe in the next generation of country acts, but he was hardly alone at carrying the flame forward. Jamey Johnson, Jason Aldean and Eric Church all emerged in the 21st century’s first decade as self-styled artists making music that cut against the grain. Other modern-day outlaws include Luke Combs, Zach Bryan, Corey Kent, Red Clay Strays, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Miranda Lambert, not to mention most of the Texas red-dirt artists and the country-centric acts that are classified as Americana.” Wildly inaccurate from a writer and editor of Roland’s stature, he fails to mention the likes of Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Turnpike Troubadours, Charley Crockett, Cody Jinks, Colter Wall, Whitey Morgan and the 78’s, Ray Wiley Hubbard, Cross Canadian Ragweed and a plethora of other artists who have actually carried on the tradition of the outlaw movement compared to the likes of major label artists such as Aldean. Jinks, who has remained one of the unsung heroes of today’s actual modern outlaw movement, took exception to this article. On Sunday, he posted a text message exchange with an unknown recipient. In the message, the “Hippies and Cowboys” singer would give Billboard and Rolan kudos for highlighting the Wanted album but ended up calling the rest of the article “garbage,” thanks to some of the names listed as “modern outlaws.” He’d follow that up by shouting out Jamey Johnson as the only outlaw listed in the article. Clarifying that he meant no disrespect to the other artists, he’d call on Billboard to hire another writer who “knows more about country than this entry level drivel.” “This is some interesting writing by someone that did a little studying on country music and wrote an article. The celebration of The Outlaws record is certainly warranted! Kudos to Billboard for that. The rest of the article is garbage. The only “modern outlaw” to make the list is Jamey Johnson. Jamey actually told his label to Eff Off! I love the rest of the artists on that list and have played with them but they are not outlaws. There are not any new outlaws, these artists are still on labels that control everything. There are simply signed and indie artists today. So, no disrespect to the amazing artists named here, you are all awesome. Billboard might want to hire a writer that knows more about country than this entry level drivel. Billboard and the record labels continue to screw it up. What else is new?” View this post on Instagram This morning, he’d return with even more fervor on Instagram. Calling the aforementioned article a “fluff piece by a senior writer at Billboard about a documentary backed by the Country Music Hall of Fame and an AI tech entrepreneur,” Jinks would now take aim at both Roland’s piece as well as co-director, Eric Geadelmann, who is a former AI developer-turned-filmmaker. “My apologies. At the time of my last post, I didn’t know this article was a fluff piece by a senior writer at Billboard about a documentary backed by the Country Music Hall of Fame and an AI tech entrepreneur that bought his way into the country music label elite’s favoritism.” Jinks would go on to note that he’s sure that the documentary will provide some good insight from some of the legendary artists mentioned previously. However, he would go on to mention the lack of key names in the modern outlaw movement, such as Whitey Morgan, Ward Davis, Blackberry Smoke, Jason Boland, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Wade Bowen and more. “No doubt this documentary will have great clips and things to learn about our outlaw heroes of old, with great interviews and opinions from some of our favorite artists of today. I’m sure the production, the cast, and everything else is top notch. I’m friends with several people in it and they are great, so for them, that’s awesome. But all of this begs one question: During any portion of the making of this, did anyone ask, “Where’s Whitey and Ward? Where’s Sunny, Blackberry Smoke, Wade Bowen, Jason Boland? Where’s Dallas Moore, Cross Canadian Ragweed? Where’s Hank Jr.? (Wait, the establishment hated his Dad until it was profitable to use his name.)” He’d then express his dissatisfaction with the fact that the Country Music HOF is partnering with Geadelmann for the documentary, given his background in AI, before posing the question, “if being outlaw is anti-machine, how is there anything outlaw about this documentary?” “All that to say, I take exception to the Country Music Hall of Fame partnering with someone who developed AI – the single biggest executioner of real art, sans major labels. Elitists and superpowers shape history by rewriting it for themselves. Artists paint the whole picture. I’d rather be an artist. Which brings me to my last question: if being outlaw is anti-machine, how is there anything outlaw about this documentary? For the record, I’m a self proclaimed punk. Y’all think Hank done it this way? I’ll see y’all on the road.” View this post on Instagram One thing that should be noted about Geadelmann is the fact that he has got his start in the medical industry over 25 years ago developing AI systems for medical use before making his transition into filmmaking. Though it remains unclear if he still invests in any generative AI technology/companies, research/medical-based AI tech is a far cry from the deceptive and anti-art nature of modern-day generative AI. Regardless, the “David” singer has remained one of the most prominent leaders of today’s actual crop of modern-day outlaws, and his voice should undoubtedly be heard on this issue. As of now, Geadelmann and the rest of the They Called Us Outlaws team have yet to respond to Jinks.The post “Y’all Think Hank Done It This Way?”: Cody Jinks Goes Scorched Earth On “Fluff Piece” Billboard Article About ‘They Called Us Outlaws’ Documentary first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Kid Rock’s famous Broadway bar suffered a structure fire early on Tuesday, March 17. According to reports, the Nashville Fire Department responded to a building fire call around 11:15 a.m.. The address that was provided to the authorities was Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk & Rock n’ Roll Steakhouse on Broadway. Firefighters rushed to the scene, and police officers quickly worked to clear the area. An early look at the scene showed multiple fire trucks and other emergency response vehicles responding, with one firet ruck even extending it’s ladder to the roof of the establishment. Firefighters were seen climbing the ladder to get to the very top of Kid Rock’s multilevel bar. HAPPENING NOW: firefighters climbing a tower to the top of Kid Rock’s bar on Broadway. We have a crew heading downtown @WKRN pic.twitter.com/7DiT2I0AB1 — Peyton Kennedy (@peytonTVkennedy) March 17, 2026 For the safety of those on Broadway and those responding to the fire, the area directly in front of and around Kid Rock’s (Broadway between 2nd & 4th avenue) was quickly closed off by authorities. The perimeter initially established is still being held as crews investigate the incident. The Nashville Fire Department reported that flames were spotted in the bar’s ductwork, which would align with firefighters being seen climbing the ladder to the top of the building. WKRN’s Peyton Kennedy later shared photos that were captured at the scene confirming that Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk & Rock n’ Roll Steakhouse did, in fact, suffer fire damage. “Visible damage inside Kid Rock’s — crews on scene could not immediately comment.” Visible damage inside Kid Rock’s — crews on scene could not immediately comment — we are waiting to hear back from the Nashville fire dept @WKRN https://t.co/WdHFsYHelk pic.twitter.com/Ngc212kfLl — Peyton Kennedy (@peytonTVkennedy) March 17, 2026 Those pictures do align with the initial reports from the NFD saying the fire had been spotted in the ductwork of the bar and restaurant. So far, no injuries have been reported. The Nashville Fire Department has yet to release an official statement on the incident. Here are some videos that were posted by witnesses on the scene: @vacay.queen.heath “FIRE AT KID ROCK’S BAR ON BROADWAY??” Fire? at Kid Rock’s bar on Broadway during St. Paddy’s Day? Nashville stays wild #nashville #broadwaynashville #stpattysday #stpatricksday #fyp ♬ Oh No (Instrumental) – Kreepa @bostonaroc #foryoupageofficiall #nashville #downtownnashville #fire #fyp ♬ original sound – OUTANDABOUTINNASHVILLE Kid Rock’s bar, which first opened in 2019, is owned by Nashville bar owner Steve Smith, who has several venues in downtown Music City including Tootsie’s, Rippy’s, Honky Tonk Central and The Diner. The venue hasn’t yet commented on the situation, so it’s not clear whether the bar is open or still assessing the damage. It’s obviously a developing situation, but we’ll bring you any new information as it comes in.The post Fire Damages Kid Rock’s Downtown Nashville Bar first appeared on Whiskey Riff.