8 Real Country Facts About Sam Hunt
As we anxiously wait for new Sam Hunt music, Taste of Country takes a look at some of the more surprising facts about the singer.
Hunt was Billboard's No. 1 Hot Country Songs Artist for 2017, and it's easy to see why, as his monster hit “Body Like a Back Road” broke countless records. The song spent an unprecedented 34 weeks on both Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Streaming Songs charts.
In light of that success, our first Sam Hunt fact is pretty funny. Read on to find out what he originally wanted to do for a living, songs you might not know he wrote, his unusual sports skill and more about the singer!
1. Hunt almost didn't release "Body Like A Back Road"
"To be honest, I never really wanted to put it out -- I was wanting to go in a different direction musically," he tells Billboard. "Sometimes as songwriters, we take ourselves a little too seriously." 2017 surely wouldn't have been the same if he didn't!
2. He had success as a songwriter first
Long before the Georgia native was the massive country artist that he is today, Hunt got his start penning songs for other artists. He saw his first major chart success in 2012 with Kenny Chesney’s No. 1 single “Come Over,” and the following year with Billy Currington No. 1 recording of “We Are Tonight.” He'd follow in 2014 with Keith Urban’s Grammy-nominated “Cop Car” and more recently saw success with William Michael Morgan’s debut No. 1 single, “I Met a Girl.”
3. As a kid, Hunt wanted to be a bull rider
Hunt's most memorable Christmas gift was when he received a Mustang, who he named Comanche. "That was a really exciting time. I rode all the time after that," he said in an interview with his label. "I remember one year, it probably started from the horse-riding thing, but I got into wanting to be a bull rider. I was still pretty young — 8, 9, 10 years old — so one Christmas, we got a little steer calf. It had a little rope, and I’d try to ride a calf. He grew up with us and grew into a bull and ended up getting after my grandmother one afternoon. We had to get rid of him. He was just playing, but she wasn’t really the playful type.”
4. He's skilled in archery
The singer kills time between shows with a bow and arrow. Hunt shared several photos on Instagram during his 2017 15 in a 30 Tour where he had target practice at an arena hours before he was set to take the stage. "Bows and stogies in Tampa with @thechrisjanson," Hunt captions one photo.
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5. He's a romantic
Sam's most memorable Valentine's Day includes writing a love letter to a girl he just started dating. "It was maybe a month prior to Valentine’s Day, and she was going over to Honduras on a mission trip shortly after Valentine’s Day so I drove down to meet her,” he tells Sounds Like Nashville. “I had written her a letter in Spanish and it was way too soon to say I love you and I accidentally told her that I loved her in Spanish without knowing it. So it created a really awkward moment when she called me out on it.”
6. He listens to his wife, Hannah
The singer had a full beard for most of the last year, and you can thank his wife. "I grew it out, and she said she liked it," Hunt tells Entertainment Tonight. "Her opinion matters most, so I kept it. It gets cold in Nashville, so I like to have a beard in the winter."
7. He has a rescue cat
While he spends a ton of time on the road, it doesn't stop him from adopting animals who need a home. In an interview with Reddit, he reveals his love for felines. "I have a cat named Dandelion. My brother is taking care of her. She's a rescue."
8. Gone fishing
Hunt's love for fishing is no secret. One glance at his Instagram account and several videos of fishing trips around the world are shared. Whether it's in Chesapeake Bay, New York or other exotic locals, Hunt is often found beaming at the camera with a fishing rod in hand.
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