Country Singer Eric Church to Receive ACM Icon Award for Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts

The North Carolina native has helped raise millions for communities impacted by the September 2024 storm.

Eric Church performs at the Stagecoach festival in Indio, Calif., on April 29, 2016. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Country star Eric Church will take home the Academy of Country Music’s Icon Award next month, in part for his ongoing charitable support of Hurricane Helene relief efforts after the powerful storm devastated his home state of North Carolina last year.

Church, 48, will be honored at the 18th Academy of Country Music Honors ceremony on Aug. 20 at Nashville’s new live music venue, The Pinnacle.

The Icon Award is given to country artists who have helped to advance the popularity of the genre through their songwriting and touring or their philanthropic contributions and other goodwill efforts, the Academy of Country Music stated in a July 9 press release.

Since launching his debut studio album, “Sinners Like Me,” in 2006, Church has released a slew of hit songs, including his 2011 singles “Springsteen” and “Drink in My Hand” from his third album “Chief,” which were platinum-certified eight and five times, respectively.

“Eric Church, who has received seven ACM Awards, has continually pushed the boundaries of the genre, blending elements of blues, rock, and outlaw country while continuing to explore new, unique sounds and inviting the genre to follow,” the press release reads.

“As he approaches the two-decade mark of defining what country music can be, he continues to further expand his influence as a leader, serving as a North Star for rising artists while also using his platform for good.”

Honorees for the 18th Academy of Country Music Honors ceremony. | Courtesy the Academy of Country Music

Church has continued to support communities ravaged by Hurricane Helene through his nonprofit organization, The Chief Cares Fund, which he cofounded with his wife, Katherine, in 2013. The deadly storm, which made landfall in September 2024, resulted in more than 230 fatalities, 108 of which occurred in North Carolina.

In October, Church released “Darkest Hour,” signing over all of his publishing royalties for the song so that proceeds could go to his home state.

Later that month, Church—in collaboration with fellow country singer and North Carolina native Luke Combs—held a benefit concert in Charlotte, raising more than $24 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

Church is among the dozen honorees who will receive awards during the August ceremony.

Among them, Ben Vaughn, former president and CEO of Warner Chappell Music, who died in January at age 49, will be honored alongside Church with the Icon Award.

Combs will also receive the ACM International Award for his outstanding contributions to the growth of country music around the world.