Morgan Wallen Says He Never Listened To Country Music Until He Discovered Eric Church: “I Knew Every Bit Of His First Three Records… I Could Sing Them All”

One of his biggest inspirations, and now, closest friends.

Morgan Wallen is gearing up to release a limited-edition I’m The Problem CD zine, which is slated to drop on December 19th, and the book promises 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.

And fans are getting an early look at some of the stories, as a preview on his website describes Morgan’s childhood years in a rural church in east Tennessee, where he first started singing and playing piano:

“I grew up in a very rural Southern Baptist church, singing gospel and bluegrass. When I was 5 years old, I asked for a violin for Christmas, and I’d play piano growing up, but I wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music when I was a kid.”

But it’s obvious in his current music that his faith isn’t the only inspiration.

Morgan discovered early 2000s rock band Breaking Benjamin when his friends first played him the CD, and once he started playing travel baseball, he got into a lot of rap and hip hop:

“The first non-Christian album I bought was a Breaking Benjamin CD. My buddies were listening to that kind of stuff. Then around 2006, I was playing travel baseball, and we were in Atlanta.

I remember being in the car with my friend and his parents, and TI came on the radio. I’d never heard anything like it before – the way that he enunciated and used his words. It was so cool. I started listening to a lot of Atlanta and Memphis hip-hop after that.”

Those types of influences are certainly still prominent in Morgan’s music, to the chagrin of many more traditional country fans, but it was Eric Church who really sparked Morgan’s love for country music in particular.

Morgan says Eric’s lyrics really spoke to him, and he fell in love with all of his albums… and the rest, as they say, is history:

“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.”

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.”

They’ve become close friends too, and Morgan even called Eric right before he got arrested at Eric’s bar on Broadway in Nashville…

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 gave Sinners Like Me a spin.

To be fair, that is one of the albums that first made me fall in love with country music, and I still think it’s one of Eric’s best records. Actually, I think that about all three of his first three albums Morgan referenced.

I’m sure there’s plenty more stories like this in that 100-page CD zine, and Morgan will hit the road once again in 2026 for his Still The Problem stadium tour, and likely has some new music coming next year too.

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 White

“Number 3 and Number 7”

“Man Made A Bar’ 

The post Morgan Wallen Says He Never Listened To Country Music Until He Discovered Eric Church: “I Knew Every Bit Of His First Three Records… I Could Sing Them All” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.