At the 2025 ACM Honors in Nashville on Wednesday (Aug. 20), HARDY made a surprise appearance to pay tribute to his musical hero, Eric Church, who received the ACM Icon Award.
The country rocker and six-time ACM Award winner shocked the star-studded audience when he made his way onto the stage at one of Music City’s newest venues to deliver a heartfelt tribute to “The Chief,” country superstar Eric Church.
HARDY, wearing a brown Nuthin Fancy Co hat, a Mossy Oak “Bottomland” shirt, jeans and his signature Ray Bans glasses, was joined by Church’s former bandmate and longtime friend Joanna (JoJo) Cotten before strumming the opening notes to “HomeBoy.” The song, written by Eric Church and Casey Beathard and produced by Jay Joyce, appears as the sixth track on Church’s 2011 album, Chief, which also featured fan-favorite hits like “Springsteen” and “Drink In My Hand.”
“Homeboy, you’re gonna wish one day/ That you were sittin’ on a gate of a truck by the lake/ With your high school flame on one side, ice cold beer on the other/ Ain’t no shame in a blue collar forty, Little house, little kid, little small town story/ If you don’t ever do anything else for me, just do this for me brother/ Come on home, boy,” HARDY sang, showcasing his unique gritty vocals alongside Cotten’s powerhouse pipes.
Following his performance and prior to welcoming Church to the stage for the coveted honor, HARDY delivered remarks from the heart.
“Eric, I didn’t know you were sitting right there. That would’ve scared the shit out of me. I swear to God, I just now realized that I’d probably passed out, but I’m beyond honored to play this song for y’all tonight,” HARDY admitted following his performance. “The first time I heard it, I was new to town. I was driving to a class at MTSU [Middle Tennessee State University]. It literally sent a chill up my spine. At the time, this was 15 years ago, I was still trying to figure out how to write a country song. And when I heard ‘Homeboy,’ I told myself that this is the kind of song I want to write every day for the rest of my life and to this day, I tell everybody that I owe every bit of my songwriting career to that moment and that song to Eric Church for inspiring me to just go for it every single day.”
“That is the power of Eric Freaking Church. I met Eric a few years ago, and I got to tell him that story. And it’s a moment I’ll never forget, and I can only hope that I have the same impact on somebody someday that Eric had on me,” the singer/songwriter concluded before presenting Church with the trophy.
Eric Church then made his way to the stage to accept the ACM Icon Award, which honors the contributions of Cliffie Stone, who was known for his producing work along with his Country Music career. The trophy is presented “to a Country Music artist, duo/group or industry leader who, throughout their career, has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in multiple facets of the industry, such as songwriting, recording, production, touring, film, television, literary works, philanthropic contributions, and other goodwill efforts.”
After graciously thanking HARDY and Joanna for their heartfelt speech and the amazing tribute performance, Church took the audience back to the beginning of his career.
“I will say to Hardy that in my opinion, he’s one of the greatest songwriters Nashville has that’s ever held a pin. And it was awesome to see that, and Jojo is Jojo,” Church began. “I had all these things I wanted to talk about, and I watched the video before this, and I couldn’t help but think about where this started for me.”
Church continued, “It started in Blowing Rock, North Carolina at Woodlands BBQ. I was 18 years old, and I had the Monday night gig at six o’clock and I knew 12 songs and that’s it. And I’ll never forget that night. I remember thinking, this is the most fun I’ve ever had, and if I can just get to the Friday or Saturday night gig at Woodlands, I’ll never want anything else. God had a bigger plan than that. I ended up doing more things, and I’ve had a career where I’ve got to make the music I want to make, and I’ve gotten to play that music on stage.”
Eric Church went on to praise his diehard fan base. “I’ve had a career where I’ve got to make the music I want to make, and I’ve got to play that music on stage, and I’ve had fans that have bought into that. And they’re more excited when I play an album cut from 10 years ago than they are when I play some of his songs. And I fucking love that. I’ve been very blessed. I’ve been very blessed to be able, very blessed to be able to have a career that way.”
He then shouted out Happy Gilmore as he bantered with the crowd before concluding, “It has been an honor to be able to do it my own way and with music and I do want to say that I have a group of friends that are here that have been with me the whole time, that are more like brothers and sisters. I have a manager that we’ve always seen eye to eye, and we’ve always believed in what the power of music is. And I married a long tangled blonde from Tennessee. If I did not meet her, I would be playing Woodlands BBQ [still]. Thank you guys.”
ACM Honors, also known as the “Country Music industry’s favorite night,” is an annual event that celebrates special award winners, including Industry Awards, Studio Recording Awards, Songwriter Awards, and other Special Awards, given to outstanding individuals who have significantly contributed to Country music.
“Tonight is a powerful reminder of the heart of Country Music,” Damon Whiteside, Academy of Country Music CEO, shared in a statement. “The artists, their voices, and stories move people around the world, but behind every song and performance is an entire community of songwriters, musicians, and industry leaders who help bring that artistry to life. To celebrate them all together in front of a sold-out audience is a true reflection of the spirit of this genre and the lasting impact it continues to have.”
The show also featured tribute performances from a star-studded lineup, including Tucker Wetmore, HARDY, Ashley McBryde, Carter Faith, Karen Fairchild, Victoria Shaw, K. Michelle, Madeline Edwards, Miko Marks, Jamey Johnson, Chris Janson, Amy Grant, Ashley Gorley, Carly Pearce, Luke Bryan, Russell Dickerson, and more.
These artists paid homage to the evening’s honorees: ACM Songwriter of the Year Jessie Jo Dillon, ACM Lifting Lives Award recipient Jelly Roll, ACM Poets Award winner Mac McAnally, ACM Icon Award recipients Ben Vaughn and Eric Church, ACM Milestone Award recipient Randy Travis, ACM Lift Every Voice Award recipient Rissi Palmer, ACM Artist-Songwriter Award recipient Lainey Wilson, ACM International Award recipient Luke Combs, ACM Spirit Award recipient Cody Johnson, and ACM Film Award recipient Twisters
Re-live the 2025 ACM Honors ceremony when the Academy of Country Music teams up with CMT for a special three-hour broadcast, CMT Hot 20: ACM Honors Edition, airing Saturday, Sept. 27. Hosted by CMT’s Cody Alan and Carissa Culiner, alongside 18th ACM Honors hosts Russell Dickerson and Carly Pearce, the episode will feature exclusive backstage interviews with honorees and performers, along with standout moments from the evening.
