Eric Church has shared a little-known story about how Taylor Swift once thanked him for unintentionally helping launch her career: by gifting him her very first gold record.

The country star stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week, where he looked back on an early career moment in 2006 that unexpectedly connected him with the then-rising teenage singer-songwriter.

At the time, Church had been booked to open for Rascal Flatts on a major arena run. But his stint was cut short. “My first major arena tour, I was invited to no longer be a part of,” he told Fallon, choosing his words carefully. “That’s all I’m going to say about that one. But when I was no longer invited to be a part of it, it was at Madison Square Garden here. And if you’re going to not be invited to be a part of something, that’s the place, Jimmy.”

The very next day, Church said he got a phone call from the artist replacing him: a 16-year-old Taylor Swift, whose debut single “Tim McGraw” had just started gaining traction.

“She calls. And it actually was great,” Church recalled. According to him, Swift made sure there were no hard feelings and expressed admiration for his music. “I said, ‘Listen, Taylor, I have seen this crowd. This crowd is going to love you. I love what you do,’” he remembered. “I said, ‘This is going to really be great for you and you owe me your first gold record when this happens.’” It didn’t take long, just a few weeks later, Swift delivered on the promise.

“I was at a music festival not even 30 days later,” Church said. “She walked onto my tour bus with the gold record for her debut album. She inscribed it: ‘To Eric, thanks for playing too long and too loud on the tour. Sincerely, Taylor.’” Church smiled at the memory, calling the gesture a sign of her authenticity even then. “You could just tell. Just an artist. An artist.”

The record now resides in the Country Music Hall of Fame, though Church joked that he doesn’t get to keep it. “They don’t let me have it,” he quipped.

This wasn’t the last time Church’s name came up in connection with Swift. Earlier this year, he revealed that he had been unexpectedly pulled into one of her legal battles.

In 2017, Swift was sued by the songwriters of 3LW’s 2001 track “Playas Gon’ Play,” who alleged she copied the lyrics “players gonna play, haters gonna hate” in her blockbuster hit “Shake It Off.” During a deposition, Swift said she first heard the phrase in Church’s 2014 song “The Outsiders,” not in the earlier track.

“She was saying she never heard it on the original song, which is what they were suing her for,” Church explained. “And two weeks later, I got served by the people that were suing her!” The lawsuit dragged on for years before finally being dismissed in 2022. “It’s since been settled,” Church said. “But I was like, ‘How did this even happen?’”

Church also used his appearance on The Tonight Show to perform “Johnny,” a track from his latest album Evangeline vs. the Machine, released in May. For an artist who has carved his reputation on going his own way, the Swift anecdotes serve as reminders of how unpredictable the music business can be.