Chase Rice
September 19, 1985
Chase Rice (born September 19, 1985) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and reality television personality. Rice is also a former college football linebacker for the University of North Carolina and former NASCAR pit crew member for Hendrick Motorsports. He co-wrote the single "Cruise", performed by Florida Georgia Line. He released the EP Ready Set Roll, featuring the single "Ready Set Roll", on October 15, 2013. His full-length album Ignite the Night was released on August 19, 2014, and includes "Ready Set Roll". On August 27, 2014, Ignite the Night debuted atop the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. His first number-one single on country radio was "Eyes on You", which topped the chart in 2019.
2010
He first came to prominence in 2010, when he was a contestant on Survivor: Nicaragua, where he was the runner-up to Jud "Fabio" Birza.
April 22, 2010
Chase Rice began playing guitar in college. He cites his father as the inspiration for his career, recalling his father saying "boy anyone can play guitar, but no one is gonna really listen to you until you start singing." He models his albums after his live show and is building his career through the performance aspect. His first studio album, Friday Nights & Sunday Mornings, was released on April 22, 2010. This 13-track album includes the first song he ever wrote/recorded, “Larger Than Life”, which is about the passing of his father. This is the only full-length album Rice has released that is not available for digital purchase or streaming.
March 2011
In March 2011, he released Country as Me, a six-track EP featuring his single "Buzz Back". He has received air play as a "Highway Find" on satellite radio channel The Highway (Sirius XM). In April 2012, his Dirt Road Communion debuted at number 48 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. This album included the original recordings of "Jack Daniels and Jesus" and "How She Rolls", the later of which has been removed from streaming and digital platforms in its original form. "Whoa" has also been removed from all digital and streaming platforms, but was never re-released leaving the current total tracks on the album at 14. "Happy Hour (Worktape)" includes a hidden track, "Kiss My Ass", which begins at the 4:31 minute mark on the song.
July 2012
In July 2012, he signed with Creative Artists Agency. He was a co-writer of Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise", which topped Billboard Hot Country Songs.
2013
In February 2016, Rice released "Whisper", which was intended to be the lead single from an upcoming album. The song failed to gain any traction on radio, peaking at number 56 on the week of April 23, 2016, after just 3 weeks of being on the Country Airplay chart. It is currently Rice's lowest peaking single to date, only behind How She Rolls which peaked at number 55 in 2013, which never received real label backing. After the disappointing chart performance of the song, Rice issued a letter to his fans regarding the single, stating "If you have listened to my music for years and want to hear more depth and meaning, I very much appreciate you, too, and your desires will also be fulfilled on this album (and truthfully, that was my goal on previous albums with songs like "Carolina Can" and "Every Song I Sing.")" He went on to mention he was influenced by Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney. Rice then released "Everybody We Know Does", which was sent to country radio on June 24, 2016.
October 2013
In October 2013, he released Ready Set Roll, a six-song EP including the title track. The physical version of the album was released in November 2013 and included the bonus song "Jack Daniel's and Jesus". On January 29, 2014, the official "Ready Set Roll" music video premiered exclusively on CMT. The next day, the video debuted on VEVO. He partnered with Columbia Records for distribution of "Ready Set Roll" in March 2014.
June 30, 2014
On June 30, 2014, Rice released the album cover, release date, and album sequence for Ignite the Night. The full-length album was released on August 19, 2014, and included the Platinum-certified single, "Ready Set Roll".
2015
In the official issue of CBS Watch magazine, commemorating the 15th anniversary of Survivor in 2015, Rice was voted by viewers as the 10th "steamiest" male contestant in Survivor history.
2017
After "Everybody We Know Does" failed to crack the top 25, Rice left Columbia in 2017 and signed to Broken Bow Records the same year. The lead single from Rice's first album with BBR, "Three Chords and the Truth", was sent to country radio. This single was highly praised by both country fans and radio, as this was his first single to crack the Top 25 on the Country Airplay chart in 4 years.
November 17, 2017
Lambs & Lions is Rice's first album on Broken Bow Records/BMG and is also the first album released by BBR since the BMG takeover. Lambs & Lions came out on November 17, 2017.
May 06, 2019
Rice's single "Eyes on You" became his first number one on country radio on May 6, 2019, staying at the top for two weeks.
June 27, 2020
On June 27, 2020, Rice played a concert at the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, in Petros, Tennessee where many fans chose to ignore recommended safety measures against spreading and contracting COVID. Reaction to the concert drew negative outcry from fans and the music industry. In response to the criticism Rice stated: "If it were up to me I wouldn't cancel one damn show, but it ain't.... I personally, choose not live scared, especially of something that I can't really control."
