Two-time Super Bowl champion and former quarterback Peyton Manning joined Luke Combs on his Apple Music Country radio show dubbed Bootleggers Radio, to talk about his love for country music and their mutual love for Eric Church.
During Manning’s appearance on the show, he not only chatted about football but also country music artists that he loves and has formed lasting friendships, specifically noting his love and appreciation for Eric Church, George Strait and his longtime friend Kenny Chesney.
Manning told Combs that growing up in Louisiana, he primarily listened to his parents’ playlists that included Elvis Presley, The Beatles and more, however, when he got to college, country music dominated his playlists. The two-time Super Bowl champion explained that his best friend Todd Helton, a former Colorado Rockies slugger, is who turned him on to Eric Church’s music. Actually, Church’s fan-favorite hit “Springsteen” was Helton’s walk-up song while with the Rockies.
“One of my best friends played baseball here for the Rockies, Todd Helton, wore number 17, so I used to go see a lot of [Colorado] Rockies games, and that was Helton’s walk up song, ‘Springsteen.’”
“Eric’s [Church] a guy I’ve gotten to know these past few years,” the former quarterback explained to Combs. “I think my appreciation for his music has grown even more with hearing his story, and hearing how he got started in the industry, and the time and the work that he puts in, and ideas for songs.”
“I mean, to me, it’s the process. Right? You’re always hearing Nick Saban, at Alabama, talking about the process. That’s all that goes into what happens on Saturday. afternoon,” Manning continued. “It’s no different for you guys, all the work behind the scenes. He’s a grinder. He loves it. He loves everything about it. He’s great in concert, in person, heard him at Red Rocks, heard him at The Pepsi Center here in Denver, and a great live performer.”
Combs and Manning share a mutual love for Church as Combs previously shared that it was a Church CD that influenced his country music career, sharing “that’s where the fire caught spark.”
“When I got to Appalachian State, a guy that lived on my floor brought in an Eric Church CD and said hey this guy went to college here, you should check him out,” Combs explained during his appearance on Straight Up Steve Austin. “Once I heard Eric I was like, this is something I can relate to and if he can do that and he’s from here, and I’m from here, I can do that. And that’s kind of where the fire caught spark for lack of a better term.”
Manning previously shared shots of Jack Daniel’s with Church and Michael Phelps during one of his live concerts in Colorado, see video below.
