He did it his own way, he never wavered, and that’s the secret to a lot of Eric Church’s success. Last month, Morgan Wallen released a limited-edition I’m The Problem CD zine, which features exclusive interviews with the likes of Wallen himself and other collaborators, articles reflecting on the record penned by the “Whiskey Glasses” singer, exclusive lyric sheets of all 37 songs and, of course, the highly anticipated letter from Morgan’s father. Morgan also spoke about two of the most influential artists in terms of his personal singing style, which includes the legendary Keith Whitley and the late, great Chris Cornell, who was the lead singer of rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. Morgan called the two “the pinnacle” when it comes to vocalists: “I think Keith Whitley has one of the best voices ever. I mean, if we’re talking country music, I don’t know that anyone compares to his vocals. He’s also from Appalachia. Growing up, my great uncles had a quartet, and they would travel and sing at churches, singing Southern gospel. I think Whitley just sounds familiar to me in such a beautiful way. In terms of vocalists who influenced me as far as vocals, Keith Whitley and then Chris Cornell. Those two guys are the pinnacle for me.” I couldn’t agree more, because they’re generationally talented vocalists, and of course, if you’re a fan of Morgan’s, then you probably also know how much Eric Church has influenced him as well: “Later, I got into Eric Church, and I didn’t really ever get into country music until I listened to him. What struck me most was how I could just picture all his lyrics. I started digging deeper and listening to all of his catalog. I mean, I knew every bit of his first three records. I could sing them all.” But the first Church song he ever heard was from Eric’s Carolina album, a song called “Love Your Love The Most,” which Morgan immediately connected with because of Eric’s “off-the-wall” and unique lyrics. Eventually, his love for country also lead him to discovering artists like the aforementioned Keith Whitley, as well as outlaw icon Waylon Jennings: “The first Eric Church song I heard was ‘Love Your Love The Most’. He painted such a vivid picture in that song with off-the-wall lyrics like ‘mustard on my fries.’ All the hooks were cool, and it was so unique – just genuine songwriting. It wasn’t like any other country music that I’d heard at the time, and I just started digging into country as a whole, eventually exploring the older stuff, too, like Keith Whitley and Waylon Jennings.” Morgan went on to describe how much he loves how Eric gave “the middle finger to the industry” in terms of doing things his own way and very much carving out his own lane in the genre, while still managing to put out songs that also showcase his softer, more sensitive side as an artist too: “With Eric Church, I just saw a different type of edge. He’d give the middle finger to the industry, but at the same time, he had a soft, sensitive side. There were different angles he took with his music that I thought were cool too. I think I’ve definitely followed along in his footsteps. Take a song like ‘Just In Case.’ It shows a sensitive side, but it still has an edge. It’s kind of all-encompassing and not just this one feeling about breaking up with a girl. With a song like that, I’m trying to get multiple feelings across about one subject.” It’s really the secret sauce, so to speak, as to how Eric has been able to build such a successful career that is very much within mainstream country music, while still being viewed as an outsider and doing it largely without a ton of radio play. It puts him in a very unique position among most hugely successful country artists, and I think that aspect of both his personality and music is what so many fans love about him. They of course now co-own Field & Stream together, and Eric has been featured on several Morgan Wallen songs, some of his best songs in my opinion, in “Quittin’ Time,” “Man Made a Bar” and most recently, “Number 3 and Number 7.” I can’t imagine what it’s like now to be close friends with the person who made you fall in country music, considering Morgan is now the biggest country star, and one of the world’s most famous musicians, all because he heard an all-time Eric Church classic, “Love Your Love The Most.” Turn it up… “Number 3 and Number 7” “Man Made A Bar” Still The Problem Tour Dates April 10 || Minneapolis, Minn. || U.S. Bank Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason April 11 || Minneapolis, Minn. || U.S. Bank Stadium w/ HARDY, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason April 18 || Tuscaloosa, Ala. || Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Vincent Mason, Zach John King May 1 || Las Vegas, Nev. || Allegiant Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason May 2 || Las Vegas, Nev. || Allegiant Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason May 8 || Indianapolis, Ind. || Lucas Oil Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Hudson Westbrook, Zach John King May 9 || Indianapolis, Ind. || Lucas Oil Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Flatland Cavalry, Zach John King May 15 || Gainesville, Fla. || Ben Hill Griffin Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King May 16 || Gainesville, Fla. || Ben Hill Griffin Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King May 29 || Denver, Colo. || Empower Field at Mile High w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason May 30 || Denver, Colo. || Empower Field at Mile High w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason June 5 || Pittsburgh, Penn. || Acrisure Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King June 6 || Pittsburgh, Penn. || Acrisure Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King June 19 || Chicago, Ill. || Soldier Field w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King June 20 || Chicago, Ill. || Soldier Field w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King June 26 || Clemson, SC. || Clemson Memorial Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat June 27 || Clemson, SC. || Clemson Memorial Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat July 17 || Baltimore, Md. || M&T Bank Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat July 18 || Baltimore, Md. || M&T Bank Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat July 24 || Ann Arbor, Mich. || Michigan Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten July 25 || Ann Arbor, Mich. || Michigan Stadium w/ HARDY, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten July 31 || Philadelphia, Penn. || Lincoln Financial Field w/ ​​Brooks & Dunn, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten August 1 || Philadelphia, Penn. || Lincoln Financial Field w/ Ella Langley, Hudson Westbrook, Blake WhiteThe post “A Middle Finger To The Industry”: How Eric Church’s Rebellious Attitude Changed Country Music For Morgan Wallen first appeared on Whiskey Riff.