Frank Robert Ballard IV (born December 16, 1982) is an American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has released two albums each for Reprise Records and Warner Bros. Records, and has charted eight singles on the Hot Country Songs charts.
Frankie Ballard | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Frank Robert Ballard IV[1] |
Born | [2] Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S. | December 16, 1982
Origin | Nashville, Tennessee |
Genres | Country |
Occupations |
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Instruments |
|
Years active | 2007–present |
Labels |
Personal life
editBallard played college baseball at Mott Community College.[3] He then continued to pursue college baseball by playing in the NCAA with Western Michigan University.
On March 12, 2017, Ballard married his girlfriend, Christina Murphy, owner of Old Smokeys Boots, a Nashville-based shoe and accessory store. On November 7, 2019, the couple announced they were expecting their first child.[4] Their daughter, Pepper Lynn, was born on February 8, 2020.[5]
Music career
editIn the summer of 2008 he signed up for Kenny Chesney's Next Big Star competition.[6] After winning the competition for Michigan in 2008,[7] Ballard also opened shows for Chesney at Michigan venues.
He signed to Reprise Records Nashville in 2010 and released his debut single "Tell Me You Get Lonely."[8] It received a four-star review from Kyle Ward of Roughstock, who praised Ballard's voice and called the song "an above average debut effort."[9] The song debuted at Number 59 on the Hot Country Songs charts dated for the week ending June 12, 2010,[10] and peaked at number 33 in early 2011.
On January 7, 2011, Ballard made his debut appearance at the Grand Ole Opry.
He released his second single, "A Buncha Girls", in early 2011. This song also made the top 40. Both of his singles are included on his self-titled debut album, released in May 2011.[11]
Also in 2011, he opened for Lady Antebellum.
In 2013, Ballard moved to Warner Bros. Records and released his third single, "Helluva Life". This is the lead single to his second album, Sunshine & Whiskey. It became his first number 1 single in early 2014.[12] Later in the year, the album's title track went to number 1. "Young & Crazy", the album's third single, also went to number 1.
The first single from Ballard's third album, "It All Started with a Beer", was released to country radio on November 16, 2015. The album, El Rio, was released on June 10, 2016. The album's second single, "Cigarette", released to country radio on August 8, 2016.
On November 22, 2024, Ballard released the EP Dirty Church Clothes, featuring the single of the same name.[13]
Additional music contributions
editBallard co-wrote "I Came to Git Down" on Big & Rich's 2014 album Gravity.
Concert tours
edit- Supporting
- Own the Night Tour with Lady Antebellum (2011)
- Anything Goes Tour with Florida Georgia Line (2015)
- Still the Same Concert Tour with Sugarland (2018)
Discography
editStudio albums
editTitle | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Country [14] |
US [15] |
US Heat [16] | |||
Frankie Ballard |
|
33 | — | 6 |
|
Sunshine & Whiskey |
|
5 | 35 | — |
|
El Rio |
|
9 | 68 | — |
|
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Singles
editYear | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Country Songs [20] |
US Country Airplay [21] |
US [22] |
CAN Country [23] |
CAN [24] | |||||
2010 | "Tell Me You Get Lonely" | 33 | — | — | — | Frankie Ballard | |||
2011 | "A Buncha Girls" | 27 | — | — | — | ||||
2013 | "Helluva Life" | 8 | 1 | 51 | 8 | 67 |
|
Sunshine & Whiskey | |
2014 | "Sunshine & Whiskey" | 5 | 1 | 57 | 4 | 75 |
| ||
2015 | "Young & Crazy" | 8 | 1 | 55 | 3 | 68 |
| ||
"It All Started with a Beer" | 22 | 15 | —A | 50 | — |
|
El Rio | ||
2016 | "Cigarette" | — | 52 | — | — | — | |||
2017 | "You'll Accomp'ny Me" | — | 57 | — | — | — | |||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
- A"It All Started with a Beer" did not enter the Hot 100, but peaked at number 2 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.
Music videos
editYear | Title | Director |
---|---|---|
2010 | "Tell Me You Get Lonely"[32] | Marcel Chagnon |
2011 | "A Buncha Girls"[33] | Jim Wright |
2013 | "Helluva Life"[34] | Mason Dixon |
2014 | "Sunshine & Whiskey"[35] | Jack Guy |
2015 | "Young & Crazy"[36] | Glen Rose |
2016 | "It All Started with a Beer"[37] | Marcel Chagnon |
"El Camino" | ||
"Cigarette"[38] | Sam Siske | |
"Sweet Time" | ||
"Good As Gold" |
References
edit- ^ "Frankie Ballard Bio". Frankie Ballard.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard". Discogs.
- ^ Keirns, Kristin (May 17, 2011). "Bronco Baseball Alumni Note - Ballard Playing on the Big Stage". Western Michigan University. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ^ "Close". Archived from the original on November 8, 2019.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard and Wife Christina Welcome First Child". The Boot. February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard Biography". Great American Country. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard kicks off tour with free show at The Intersection in Grand Rapids". Mlive.com. March 31, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard biography". Warner Music Nashville. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
- ^ Ward, Kyle (June 15, 2010). "Frankie Ballard — "Tell Me You Get Lonely"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
- ^ Morris, Edward (June 5, 2010). "Miranda Lambert's "House" Claims Highest Address on Country Songs Chart". CMT. Archived from the original on June 8, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
- ^ Leggett, Steve. "Frankie Ballard biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
- ^ Hudak, Joseph (November 21, 2014). "Frankie Ballard Talks Seger, Number One Song". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ "The 'Dirty Church Clothes' EP drops at midnight tonight!". x.com. November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard Album & Song Chart History - Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013.
- ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016.
- ^ Matt Bjorke (August 9, 2016). "Top 10 Country Albums Chart: August 9, 2016". Roughstock.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard Album & Song Chart History - Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard Album & Song Chart History - Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard Album & Song Chart History - Canada Country". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Frankie Ballard Album & Song Chart History - Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
- ^ "American single certifications – Frankie Ballard – Helluva Life". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Matt Bjorke (May 8, 2014). "Country Chart News - The Top 30 Digital Singles - May 8, 2014: Brantley Gilbert's Guns N Roses Debut". Roughstock. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014.
- ^ "American single certifications – Frankie Ballard – Sunshine & Whiskey". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Frankie Ballard – Sunshine & Whiskey". Music Canada.
- ^ Matt Bjorke (December 17, 2014). "Country Music's Top 30 Digital Singles: Week of December 17, 2014". Roughstock. Sales figures given here
- ^ Matt Bjorke (August 31, 2015). "The Top 30 Digital Country Singles: August 31, 2015". Sales figure given here
- ^ "Nielsen Soundscan Chart". Nielsen. July 11, 2016.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Frankie Ballard : Tell Me You Get Lonely". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Frankie Ballard : A Buncha Girls". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on May 28, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Frankie Ballard : Helluva Life". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Frankie Ballard : Sunshine & Whiskey". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Frankie Ballard : Young & Crazy". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- ^ Betts, Stephen L. (February 25, 2016). "See Frakie Ballard's Dreamy Video for 'It All Started With a Beer'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Frankie Ballard : Cigarette". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.