Eric Church has gotten on a deeper level with his listeners more than ever before, sharing personal experiences and raw emotions through his music. And when he appeared at the annual Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Nashville, Tenn, which ran from Feb. 19-21, he did that again.
Debuted “Johnny” During UMG Luncheon At CRS 2025
During the three-day event, hosted at the Omni hotel and attended by members of the country music industry, Church debuted an unreleased song called “Johnny.” The North Carolina native, who delivered the song at the Universal Music Group Nashville’s Team UMG Live At The Ryman 16th Anniversary showcase, stood with his acoustic guitar in hand and looked back on 2018, which he calls the “the worst year of my life” – something he previously shared during his solo residency at his Chief’s bar on Broadway.
“I played in Vegas on a Friday night, and the following night was the worst mass shooting in US history. I lost a lot of fans there. It was a changing moment for me. It was a paradigm shift, and it broke me in a lot of ways,” Church said of his experience of the Route 91 Harvest music festival, which claimed 60 lives after a gunman opened fire from a window suite of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
But, what Church didn’t know at the time is that he’d have the memory of yet another tragic mass shooting — one that found him thinking about the lives of his two sons, Boone McCoy and Tennessee Hawkins. Three nine-year-old children and three adults were killed in that shooting, which occurred in 2023 at The Covenant School in the Nashville suburb of Green Hills.
Recalling the horrific event, Church said, “About a year ago, we had a shooting here in Nashville, and where my kids go to school, is about a mile from that school. And I’m gonna tell you something, the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, parent or otherwise, is dropping them off at that school the day after that shooting and watching them walk inside.”
Interpolation of “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” By Charlie Daniels
Church went on to say that on that particular day, he “sat in the parking lot for a long time” and the lyrics to Charlie Daniels’ ‘The Devil Went Down To Georgia” began playing on the radio. Those lyrics go: “Johnny rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard because hell has broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals the cards / If you win, you get this shiny fiddle made of gold. If you lose, the devil gets your soul.”
“I remember thinking, ‘Man, we could use Johnny right now’ because the Devil is not in Georgia. He is everywhere,” Church explained.
That moment gave Church the idea to sit down and begin penning “Johnny” — a tune that calls on the boy in “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” to return with his fiddle and bow and send the Devil back to hell. Onstage at CRS, Church pulled out all of the stops for his performance, bringing out a full choir to back him as he unveiled the pensive lyrics of his tune.
“I was thinking to myself this morning / Watching my boys play, / How different my life was when I was their age / Now machines control people, and people shoot at kids / I shudder to think about what the next thing is / And Johnny oh Johnny, where did you go? / The Devil’s broke out of Georgia / And he’s feasting on our souls,” Church sings the lyrics of the song. “There’s fire on the mountain, and flames are closing in / So run and get your fiddle boy / And send him to hell again / I know redemption comes, but it’s taking way too long / Can’t you see it in our faces can’t you hear on our songs? / Yeah we’re holding onto hope But we’re hanging by a thread / Won’t you put on your rattlesnake boots and crush that serpent in.”
He Was Also Honored With The CRS 2025 Artist Humanitarian Award at CRS
Church didn’t indicate whether or not he will release his tune, but judging by the subject matter, it’s clear he’s been hard at work putting his heart into his words. Along with sharing new unreleased music, Church was a co-recipient of the CRS 2025 Artist Humanitarian Award at CRS. Church received the award alongside Luke Combs.
According to a press release, the accolade, established in 1990, “recognizes country artists whose philanthropic efforts have significantly improved the effectiveness and impact of the causes they support. Past recipients include Kane Brown, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, and more.”
