Sam Hunt, born on December 8, 1984, to Sam Lowry Hunt, is an American country music musician, songwriter, and former college football player. Raised in rural Cedartown, Georgia, he was a promising student and enjoyed a fine career at both Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a collegiate quarterback, where he majored in philosophy before graduating in economics with a business degree.
Hunt grew up to enjoy the nation of the 1990s. After having seen all sorts of rap, R&B, and other modern music genres in college locker rooms, he established a singing and songwriting style. His football skills were known for by the NFL after graduating from UAB in 2007 and he was invited to a training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. Hunt said, “I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I needed to find out if I could take it all the way,”
He relocated to Nashville in 2008, two months after a failed effort to persuade the football squad, to continue his career as a singer. He signed a publishing contract instantly and started to compose music. “A variety of records have been produced or co-written that were subsequently played by major stars such as Kenny Chesney (“Come Over”), Keith Urban (“Cop Car”), Billy Currington (“We Are Tonight”) and others.
Hunt made his commercial recording debut when, in 2013, he released the single “Raised on It” independently. He followed that with a 15-song demo mixtape named “Between the Pines” which was published separately in the same year as well. Early in 2014, Hunt reached a publishing arrangement with MCA Nashville and the label launched the track “Leave the Night on” in anticipation of an album the same year.
Later that year, “Leave the Light On” became a No. 1 national smash. In October 2014, the debut album “Montevallo” by Hunt was released and debuted at No. 1 on the country chart and No. 3 on the pop chart. Three other hits, including “Take Your Time” and “House Party” have also been produced, both reaching number one, as well as “Break Up in a Small Town” His performance has culminated in several nominations and distinctions, including the November 2015 New Artist of the Year Prize at the 2015 AMAs.