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 Pop Country single "Cruise" performed by Florida Georgia Line.
He released the EP Ready Set Roll, featuring the single "Ready Set Roll", on October 15, 2013.
The 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 at #1 on Billboard Top Country Albums.
His first #1 single on country radio was Eyes on You, which went #1 in 2019.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.
Early life, education, and early career
Born in Florida, Rice was raised on a farm in Asheville, North Carolina. He attended AC Reynolds High School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a linebacker on the football team. He did not pursue an NFL career due to injury.
After graduating from UNC, Rice was selected to join the Hendrick Motorsports pit crew as the rear tire carrier for Ryan Newman's Nationwide Series car. He also worked on Jimmie Johnson's Sprint Cup Series car and won two championships with the Lowe's team.
Country music career
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 creates his albums based on the live shows he has and is building his career through performing. 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.
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. In April 2012, his second studio album 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 latter 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.
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.
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.
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".
In February 2016, Rice released "Whisper", which was intended to be the lead single from an upcoming album. The song was unsuccessful commercially, 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 the single which has peaked the lowest for Rice only behind "How She Rolls" which peaked at number 55 in 2013, and never received real label backing. After releasing the single, Rice issued a letter to his fans which said, "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 that 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.
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. 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. The album was released on November 17, 2017.
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. He then released the follow-up single "Lonely If You Are" on July 1, 2019. Rice also wrote and performed the inaugural theme song for The Pat McAfee Show, which was used from September 10, 2019 to April 30, 2020.
Rice appeared on the fourth episode of season 24 of The Bachelor, performing at a private concert for bachelor Peter Weber and his date, Victoria Fuller, at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Fuller later revealed that she had previously dated Rice.
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-19. 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 to live scared, especially of something that I can't really control."
In November 2020, Rice released the single "Drinkin' Beer. Talkin' God. Amen." featuring his long-time friends Florida Georgia Line. It is the second single from Rice's fifth studio album, The Album, which was released on May 28, 2021.