Eric Church remembered the call he received from Taylor Swift when she took his spot on a tour, including a “crazy” turn of events afterward.

Church appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Sunday night (September 21). The powerhouse singer-songwriter remembered his first major arena tour of his career, and “I was invited to no longer be a part of (it). That’s all I’m gonna say about that one,” Church said during his chat with host Jimmy Fallon.

“And the following day, after I was invited to not be a part of the tour anymore, I got a call from Taylor,” Church said. “I actually found out about it online that I had been replaced by — I think she was 16, blond haired, you know, she had a song called ‘Tim McGraw.’ …And she called, and she was like, ‘hey, hope there’s no —‘ I guess I say bad blood,” he said with a laugh, cleverly nodding to the global megastar’s 2014 single. “So, she’s like, ‘hope there’s no bad blood because I love what you do and I’m taking over on’ …the tour I was supposed to not be invited on.

“And I said, ‘listen, Taylor,’ I said, ‘I have seen this crowd. This crowd is going to love you. I love what you do.’ ...I said, ‘this is going to really be great for you. And you owe me your first gold record,’” Church continued, acknowledging that he had no idea how quickly Swift would score a gold record in her career. “Here’s what’s crazy. It took, like, seven days. So, we were at a festival, we were on the same bill, probably not even…30 days later. And she walks up on the bus, and she had the first gold record of her career. She walks up and…she inscribed it, ‘to Eric, thanks for playing too long and too loud on the tour. Sincerely, Taylor.’ …It’s in the Country Music Hall of Fame.”

Swift’s thank you note to Church appeared in Church’s exhibit, Eric Church: Country Heart, Restless Soul, in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. CEO Kyle Young spoke about the exhibit and the story about Swift’s handwritten note, crediting Church for the career opportunity in 2006.

“Less than 10 days in, he got kicked off the tour after a show at Madison Square Garden,” Young said of the Rascal Flatts headlining tour that Church briefly opened. “The story goes like this:(Church) ran way over time on his opening slot that night, as he had on several other shows. Played too loud, too long, and maybe tried a little too hard to be a hard act to follow. Eric later said he was aiming to get fired. He just didn’t fit into that tour. He didn’t feel he could be himself and the artist he needed to be.”

Church, always one to go “against the grain,” received an invited from “rock n’ roll hero, Bob Seger,” to open shows afterward. Church said “Seger helped save his career,” Young noted, and Swift, then 16, shared her own gratitude: “Eric, thanks for playing too long on the Flatts tour. I sincerely appreciate it.’” See a photo of the record and note here.

“I think he kept it because he knew it worked out great for both of them,” Young said. The information placed next to the item in the exhibit read: “In 2006, Church was fired from Rascal Flatts’ ‘Me and My Gang Tour’ and was replaced by sixteen-year-old Taylor Swift. He joked with swift that she would owe him her first gold record. Later, she presented Church with this gold record for her debut album, with this inscription: ‘Eric, thanks for playing to [six] long on the Flatts tour. I SINCERELY appreciate it. hahaha love you! Taylor.”

Throughout Church’s conversation with Fallon on The Tonight Show, the country star also spoke about stepping in to help his home state of North Carolina after Hurricane Helene last year, his live shows and more, plus the story behind a powerful ballad he performed on the show. Watch Church’s conversation with Fallon here, and watch the performance below.

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Megan Terry