Mitchell Tenpenny

Mitchell Tenpenny is a Nashville-born country-pop singer‑songwriter who has carved out a distinctive path in modern country music. A football player turned musician, he dropped the gridiron to pursue a passion for songwriting, eventually graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a music-business degree. Raised in a home steeped in the music industry—his grandmother, Donna Hilley, spent over 30 years rising to become president and CEO of Sony/ATV Nashville—Tenpenny was exposed early on to songwriting legends like Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, which ignited his love for storytelling through song.

He began his recording career with the 2015 indie album Black Crow. Tenpenny broke onto the mainstream in 2018 with his major-label debut Telling All My Secrets, which opened at No. 5 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums and featured the 3-time certified platinum hit “Drunk Me.” A skilled writer, he co-wrote Granger Smith’s Top 10 single “If the Boot Fits” and made chart history as “Truth About You” hit #1 three weeks after “At The End of a Bar” did the same -- the shortest span between number ones in modern chart era.

Tenpenny isn’t just about catchy tunes—he balances party-ready bangers like “Bitches” with introspective storytelling. His third album, The 3rd (2024), explores themes of legacy and family through the single of the same name, which reflects on carrying forward the James Mitchell Tenpenny name in tribute to his father and grandfather. Beyond music, he founded The 10Penny Fund in 2018 to support the mental health of cancer patients and families, inspired by his own experiences losing his father and aunt to the disease. He is married to fellow country artist Meghan Patrick.