photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images Entertainment
photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images Entertainment
loading...

Today we feature an artist who has been a quarterback, successful songwriter and double platinum certified artist with his debut album.

Sam Hunt was born and raised Cedartown, GA, a little town about an hour and a half northwest of Atlanta. A star quarterback in high school, hunt went on to play at the Middle Tennessee State University before transferring to the University of Alabama Birmingham. After graduation in 2007, the Kansas City Chiefs invited Hunt to training camp as an undrafted free agent. He spent two months in camp with the Chiefs before being released as part of their final roster cut-down.

While in college, Hunt taught himself how to play guitar, mostly as a time-killer, but after a short time, at the encouragement of his roommates, he began booking songs at clubs around campus. When his NFL dreams failed to pan out, to the surprise of everyone, including his family, he simply packed some food and a couple mattresses in his mom's mini-van and he and a friend moved to Nashville.

photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment
photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment
loading...

His family had no idea of his songwriting; but after spending 3 years in Nashville, many artists new Sam Hunt's name. He had written "Cop Car" for Keith Urban, "We Are Tonight" for Billy Currington and the title track from Reba McEntire's 2015 album Love Somebody. Hunt independently released his debut single "Raised On It" along with a free 12 song mixtape, Between The Pines, on his web-site in 2013.

Hunt signed with MCA Nashville in January of 2014, releasing the single "Leave The Night On" in August of 2014, coinciding with the release of his first four-song EP X2C. The single went to number one in October, and has received platinum certification; the week after the single went to #1, Hunt's debut album, Montevallo was released, with "Leave the Night On" the lead single, though "Raised on It" was later added to the album.

photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images Entertainment
photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images Entertainment
loading...

Three more singles from Montevallo followed; "Take Your Time", "House Party" and "Break-up In A Small Town" all topped the country music charts. All four of the singles from the album have received platinum certifications, and the album itself has gone double platinum. Today the spotlight falls on the fifth single from Montevallo; Sam Hunt and "Make You Miss Me" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

More From KLAW-FM