Eric Church grabbed some precious metal Tuesday (July 12) as he celebrated the gold record status of his album Carolina at Whiskey Bent Saloon in Nashville. The album, featuring the hits “Hell on the Heart” and “Smoke a Little Smoke,” was certified for sales of 500,000 copies, a notable number in the present-day music industry.

“It’s not lost on me how special this is,” Eric told the crowd of industry and media members. “It’s really humbling to be standing up here. I always envisioned that this day would come.” Eric thanked his band and crew and received congratulatory plaques from his label, Capitol Records Nashville, and his publishing company, Sony/ATV. Eric's new album, Chief, will be released July 26.