Tucker Beathard

Tucker Beathard may come from a family who is well-known in Nashville -- his father Casey penned hits for Kenny Chesney, George Strait, and Tim McGraw -- but he doesn't quite fit into the conventional confines of the Music City. Drawing from arena rock almost as much as he does from country, Beathard often sounds like the social media-savvy son of Eric Church -- which isn't a stretch, considering that his dad co-wrote several hits with Church, including the 2011 number one "Homeboy," which was reportedly written with the teenage Tucker in mind. This blend of old-fashioned musical values and youthful attitude was showcased on Beathard's first album, 2018's Nobody's Everything. Born and raised in Nashville, Beathard is the son of Casey Beathard, who himself was the son of country songwriter Bobby Beathard, who was the general manager for the NFL teams the Washington Redskins in the '80s. During his adolescence, it seemed as if Tucker would follow in the athletic footsteps of his grandfather -- -his older brother CJ wound up as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers -- but he tore his shoulder while playing football during his senior year at Battle Ground Academy, scuttling his plans to play baseball at Middle Tennessee State University. He turned from sports to music, which he was no stranger to. As a child, he played drums in a band with his brothers, but once he entered his late adolescence, he moved to the guitar. Beathard self-released an EP called The Demos, Vol. 1 in 2015. The next year, Big Machine signed him to their Dot Records subsidiary, releasing the single "Rock On" that March. By October, it had reached number two on Billboard's Country Airplay charts, paving the way for the release of the Fight Like Hell EP. The EP peaked at 14 on Billboard's charts, but instead of launching a successful album campaign, this was Beathard's peak with Big Machine. A second single, "Momma and Jesus," stalled at 43 on the Country Airplay charts, then the Dot imprint folded, leading Big Machine to scrap the planned 2017 release of the full-length Dear Someone. Beathard and Big Machine entered a protracted negotiation to part ways, leading to his departure in 2018. He quickly signed with Warner Nashville, which released his debut album Nobody's Everything -- which was the first installment of a projected double album -- on their Mother Tucker subsidiary in November 2018. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi