Nashville, Tenn. – (Dec. 4, 2014) – This week, Eric Church debuts the music video for his latest hit single, “Talladega.”

Church Choir members will get an exclusive first look at the video today (Thursday, Dec. 4) at EricChurch.com. “Talladega” will then premiere Friday (Dec. 5) on Vevo.com and Saturday (Dec. 6 at 11 AM/ET) on “CMT Hot 20 Countdown,” before being released to all video outlets on Monday (Dec.8).

“Talladega” is the fourth single from Church’s critically acclaimed 2014 album The Outsiders, a CMA Album of the Year Award nominee. The poignant song looks at memory through the lens of a youthful trip taken to the iconic Alabama racetrack. Like an earlier single from The Outsiders, the chart-topping “Give Me Back My Hometown,” “Talladega” showcases Church’s softer side and his ability to filter shared universal experiences through deeply personal points of view.

The video, directed by Peter Zavadil from a concept by Church’s longtime manager John Peets, arrives as the song is set to break into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. “Talladega” is the North Carolina native’s 14th Top 20 entry on that chart.

“Talladega” weaves performances filmed at Nashville Speedway with a narrative about the passing of time that’s augmented with archival Super 8mm footage of family, celebration and, of course, racetrack scenes. The video’s release caps a stellar year for Church. The Outsiders enjoyed one of 2014’s best debuts regardless of genre and will likely appear on several year-end best-of lists. He was a top nominee at the CMA Awards as he continued to push country music in new directions, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone’s first country issue, and played to his largest crowds yet.

Church is on the road with his “The Outsiders World Tour” mates Dwight Yoakam and Halestorm through Dec. 13 before kicking off the 2015 leg of the tour in January. For tickets or to learn more about Eric Church, visit www.ericchurch.com and www.facebook.com/ericchurch, or follow @EricChurch on Twitter.

Eric Church fans have proven to be a very loyal bunch, turning out to purchase nearly 145,000 copies of his latest album, Chief, during its first week of release. They’ve also been quite the inspiration for a handful of songs on the album, including his current single, “Drink in My Hand.” “I was on the bus with a couple of co-writers of mine, and we had just walked offstage and saw the crowd, saw our fans and saw ‘em put their beers in the air,” recalls Eric. “You could just tell that they had worked all week and this was their moment to let all that wash away. And that was where the title was born from really. ‘Everything’s OK now, I’ve got a drink in my hand, and I’m relaxing and I’m chilling.’ That just became a really good song born from our fans.”

AUDIO: Eric Church talks about “Drink in My Hand,” a song from his new album, Chief.

Eric Church (Drink in my Hand) OC: …play that one. :42

“We were out on tour. I think we were on tour with Miranda [Lambert] at the time, and I was on the bus with a couple of co-writers of mine, and we had just walked offstage and saw the crowd, saw our fans and saw ‘em put their beers in the air. You could just tell that they had worked all week and this was their moment to let all that wash away. And that was where the title was born from really. ‘Everything’s OK now, I’ve got a drink in my hand, and I’m relaxing and I’m chilling.’ That just became a really good song born from our fans. They’re the ones that inspired that, and it was on tour. It was on a tour bus, and I’ll never forget it. I’m happy it turned out the way it did, and I think our fans are gonna love putting their beer, or whatever they’re drinking, up in the air when we play that one.”

RECORD-BREAKING TICKET SALES INSPIRE EMI RECORDS NASHVILLE’S ERIC CHURCH TO ANNOUNCE SECOND LEG OF 2012 HEADLINING TOUR: THE BLOOD, SWEAT & BEERS TOUR

“Drink In My Hand” Marks Church’s First-Ever Top 5 and Climbing Single on Country Billboard Charts

Few albums demanded attention in 2011 like Eric Church’s CHIEF, and subsequently ticket sales for his headlining tour are smoldering with the plea. Having broken Jason Aldean’s record for the highest number of tickets ever sold for a live event at the Landers Center in Southaven, MS, and experiencing near sell-outs in additional markets, Church will now bring his “delightfully overemphatic outlaw aspirations and snarling power chords,” as SPIN describes them, to fans in Atlantic City, New York City, Orlando, Nashville, Minneapolis and more,  (full list below). Meanwhile, the Best Country Album of the Year 2012 GRAMMY nominee is celebrating  his first-ever top five and climbing single on the Country Billboard charts, “Drink In My Hand.”

Due to overwhelming demand, Church will now headline several coveted venues including Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO for the first time in his career. “Every good artist reaches a watershed moment and Eric Church has arrived at his with CHIEF,” wrote The Boston Globe; and there’s no challenging their prediction now as Church garnered placement on numerous “Best Of” lists for 2011.

Tickets for upcoming dates are on-sale now and fans also have the option to purchase a special “VIP Package” where they’ll be treated to an exclusive VIP pre-concert party and intimate acoustic performance from Church backstage. For more information and to purchase, visit www.ericchurch.com.

The full list of Church’s upcoming tour dates is below, with an asterisk (*) denoting a new addition.

Eric Church The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour Dates:

1/19      Fort Smith, AR- Fort Smith Convention Center

1/20      Cape Girardeau, MO- Show Me Center

1/21      Southaven, MS- Landers Center

1/26      Madison, WI – The Alliant Energy Center

1/27      Saginaw, MI- The Dow Event Center

1/28      Terre Haute, IN- The ISU Hulman Center

2/2        Savannah, GA-Savannah Civic Center

2/3        Knoxville, TN-Thompson Boling Arena

2/4        Norfolk, VA-Ted Constant Center

2/16      Greenville, SC-Bi-Lo Center

2/17      Salisbury, MD- Wicomico Civic Center

2/18      Greensboro, NC-Greensboro Coliseum

2/23      Battle Creek, MI-Kellogg Arena

2/24      Cleveland, OH-Wolstein Center at CSU

2/25      Ft. Wayne, IN- Allen County War Memorial Col.

3/1        Portland, ME- Cumberland Country Civic Center

3/2        Lowell, MA- Tsongas Center at UMASS Lowell

3/3        Indiana, PA- Kocalchick Center

3/8        Oklahoma City, OK- Chesapeake Energy Center

3/9        Jonesboro, AR – ASU Convocation Center*

3/10      Orange Beach, AL- Amphitheater at The Wharf

3/14      New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom*

3/15      Binghampton, NY – Broome County Arena*

3/16      Reading, PA – Sovereign Center*

3/17      Atlantic City, NJ – Etess Arena*

3/22      Estero, FL – Germain Arena*

3/23      Orlando, FL – UCF Arena*

3/24      Tallahassee, FL – Tallahassee Civic Center*

4/12      Tupelo, MS – BancorpSouth Arena*

4/13      Bossier City, LA – Centurylink Center*

4/14      Auburn, AL – Alpha Psi Rodeo*

4/19      Evansville, IN – Ford Center*

4/20      St Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena*

4/21      Pikeville, KY – Eastern KY Expo Center*

4/26      Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena*

4/27      Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena*

4/28      Bloomington, IL – US Cellular Coliseum*

5/3        Springfield, MO – JQH Arena*

5/5        Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena*

5/10      Toledo, OH – Huntington Center*

5/11      Hoffman Estates, IL – Sears Centre*

5/12      Youngstown, OH – Covelli Center*

5/17      Minneapolis, MN – Target Center*

5/18      Topeka, KS – Landon Arena*

5/19      Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre*

Opening acts for various dates include Brantley Gilbert, Sonia Leigh, Blackberry Smoke, Jon Pardi, The Cadillac Black and Drake White. 

AUDIO: Eric Church talks about rehearsing for his upcoming Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour.

Eric Church (tour rehearsals) OC: … translate to the show.

“I think this is the first time we’ve ever really had to rehearse for a headline arena tour, or any other kind of tour, because it’s such a big tour. I mean, it’s the first time that we’ve really had control of the stage, it’s the first time we’ve had this size set, this size of production. And it’s gonna be neat to go in, and you can kind of feel the energy already, even though we’re a couple of weeks away. You can feel it building. I mean, every day gets ya a little closer. It’s like a distant drum that gets louder and louder, and I’m excited. Usually, in touring season, I’m dreading starting again, because I don’t feel like we had enough time off. Every year, it gets shorter and shorter. This is the first year that I mean, I’m chomping at the bit. My band’s been chomping at the bit. We’re ready to get out there and play, and we’re as excited as we’ve ever been, and I think it’ll translate to the show.”