Check Out Chad Chapin’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chad Chapin.

Hi Chad, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
When I was seven years old, I couldn’t get enough of The Animal from the Muppet Show. Every time the intro song came on, I had my mom’s pots and pans turned upside down holding her wooden spoons, waiting to see The Animal Rock out on the drums. I still get that same excitement today every time I sit on the drums and I hear the crowd. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. God, I love music!

After high school, this guy in my dad’s church told me not to move to Nashville because he said I wouldn’t make it and I would eventually waste a year or two of my life and move back home because Nashville is a dog-eat-dog city. I’ll never forget how I felt when he walked away. I was pissed! How dare you cast your failures on someone else with the same dream. I’ll never forget driving in that U-Haul and crossing through Colorado on our way to Nashville and thinking, I’d rather be homeless on the streets of Nashville than tuck tail and move back home because I didn’t make it. For that, I am thankful for the fire he put in my heart.

The community here in Nashville is like nothing I’ve ever known. Most people here are rooting for you to succeed. If you’re willing to grind, and let the no’s roll off like water on a duck’s back, you have a chance in this amazing city! I moved here as a drummer. One year later, I realized if I was just a drummer, it may be tough to make a good living. At that time, I realized most of the money in this town was in publishing. Well crap! The one instrument that I’m good at doesn’t make a chord so I can’t write to the drums. At that time, I asked a friend to show me some chords on the guitar. I freaking loved it! One year later had written my first #1 song and I was hooked!

Since I moved to Nashville, I’ve been so fortunate to have met some amazing people who helped open some doors for me. Here are some of the credits I’ve received. I’m a Grammy-nominated drummer, Dove award winner, twelve-time BMI Music award winner, and recipient of the legendary BMI “Song Of The Year” award for my song To Ever Live Without Me. It’s so weird talking about these credits my name is attached to, because there are so many people who helped with this.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ll never forget the first time I was asked to play drums in the studio for a signed band in Franklin, TN. I was SO nervous because I knew if I sucked, I would never be asked to play again in that group of producers, engineers, and musicians. After the first take of playing drums, there was a long pause. I waited… And waited.

The producer eventually came on the headphones and said to me, with everyone in the studio listening “Hey Chad, I’ve got good news and bad news. What do you want to hear first?” I said, “Well, the bad news I guess.” He said, “The bad news is, that sucked! The good news is, I’m going to lunch and I don’t have to hear this s*^t anymore!” Everyone laughed out loud as I was trying to figure out if he was joking or for real. Thankfully, he could hear in my playing how nervous I was and broke the ice. The next take was a keeper.

I’ve learned that it’s ok to put down the guitar. It’s ok to put the drumsticks up. It’s ok to put the pen and paper away. I have experienced burnout in the past. I usually always pushed through and sometimes it worked and most of the time, it didn’t. The beautiful thing about laying down your gift when there’s nothing there, it gives creativity time to refill. I have many memories of setting down the guitar, pen, and paper for a couple of weeks or even a month. When doing that, the empty well of ideas starts flowing again.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My band Century Drive is a four-piece country-rock band made up of two sets of brothers from Bend, Oregon.

Corey and Casey Parnell and my brother Lonnie and I are all sons of preachers who are using our ingrained devotion and conviction to write, record, and release our lane of Pacific Northwest, pavement-pounding country rock. Our storytelling and brotherly harmonies are celebrated among some of Nashville’s hottest songwriters, including 17x number-one writer Brian White who said, “The first time I stepped in the room to write with Century Drive I knew something special was happening. The energy and vibe were simply contagious. Unbelievable musicians, great singers, and songs set the bar high. I’m a huge fan.”

The Parnells approached my brother and I to write songs in the early days of the pandemic, and our whiskey-fueled all-nighters have resulted in a catalog of songs that punch through as we blaze our trail in the Country genre. After teasing our audience with a string of singles, we debuted our sound on an EP in 2022 titled Staring at Stars. That project landed a spotlight on CMT and The Country Network in addition to profiles in MusicRow Magazine, AntiMusic, The Digital Journal, The Country Note, Country in the UK, The Bend Bulletin, News Break, Broadway World, Center Stage Magazine, etc.

The title track was also featured on the official Academy of Country Music’s New Music Friday Playlist alongside Jason Aldean, Reba McEntire, Maren Morris, Jake Owen, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Chris Young. Before banding together for this group, we garnered success across a variety of genres and built a brotherhood friendship spanning more than two decades.

This year, my band Century Drive will be releasing new singles as we continue to build audiences of fans across the globe.

How do you think about luck?
There’s a saying that I live by. “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Being told “no” is a good thing.

For every song I’ve written, I’ve been told no, way more than yes. I’ve always used that as fuel to work harder. It only takes one, yes, to change your life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.centurydriveband.com
• Instagram: @chadchapin
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/chadchapin
• Twitter: @CenturyDrive
• Youtube: Century Drive Band