CHARLES ESTEN (S2/EP7)

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Charles "Chip" Esten is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. Esten is best known for his roles as Deacon Claybourne on CMT's NASHVILLE and as Ward Cameron on NETFLIX's OUTER BANKS.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Charles “Chip” Esten was raised in Alexandria, VA and attended T.C. Williams High School (made famous in the film “Remember the Titans.”) He then attended The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, where he graduated with a degree in economics and met his wife, Patty. While in Williamsburg, he was lead singer/songwriter in a popular local band.

Esten made his theatrical debut in London when he portrayed Buddy Holly, singing, acting and playing guitar in the hit West End musical “Buddy.” In that role he was honored to perform for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and eventually President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush at The White House. He was also very honored to perform with Jerry Allison and Joe B. Mauldin, Buddy’s original hitmaking bandmates, the Crickets.

It was during his run as Buddy that Esten first appeared on the original British version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” with Ryan Stiles and Greg Proops. When “Whose Line” came to ABC, he became a recurring cast member and frequent song improvisor. Since then he has appeared on Drew Carey’s Improvaganza and toured frequently, performing live improv shows with Stiles, Proops and Jeff B. Davis. 

Esten’s many early television credits include recurring roles on “Big Love,” “Enlightened,” “The Office” and “ER.” Besides being the father on Disney Channel’s “Jessie,” he has been a Klingon on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” a secretary on “Murphy Brown” and Kelly Bundy’s fiance on the series finale of “Married with Children.” His film credits include “Swing Vote,” “Thirteen Days,” “61*” and “The Postman.”

Esten has been honored to perform across the US, UK, and Germany for the past several years, including the Grand Ole Opry, the historic Ryman auditorium and the Royal Albert Hall.  In addition, he has performed at festivals including Stagecoach, the CMAs, Route 91, C2C, and CMC.  He looks forward to resuming touring this summer.

Surpassing 21 million streams for his music to date, Esten is a 2018 Guinness World Records title holder for the “Most consecutive weeks to release an original digital single by a music act” after delivering 54 original songs once a week for 54 straight weeks.

He’s made 170 appearances at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry and performed multiple headline tours in the U.S., Germany, Amsterdam, and U.K., including at famed venues like the Royal Albert Hall. In 2023, Esten returned to the stage with select Nashville cast members for NASHVILLE - The Reunion Tour with sold-out dates in the U.S. and U.K., which the Birmingham Mail described as “an evening of feel-good fun,” with the Daily Mirror praising an “impressive set of show classics and solo material.” In April/May 2024, he’ll take Love Ain’t Pretty on the road in the UK & Europe for thirteen solo headline shows.

The tour will follow the January 26th release of his highly anticipated independent debut album, Love Ain’t Pretty.  A diverse and richly textured full-length project more than ten years in the making, the album began taking shape when Esten first arrived in Music City to play ‘Deacon Claybourne’ on ABC/CMT’s Nashville, and now showcases a singer-songwriter with a masterful grasp of the full human condition. 

Esten explores life, love, and the passing of time through the lens of a travelled and tested everyman, who has never lost his innate sense of wonder, or his wide-open soul over the course of all fourteen songs. Working in tandem with hitmakers like Jon Nite, Eric Paslay, Gary Burr, Leslie Satcher, and more, Esten co-wrote all tracks on the forthcoming album. Vividly detailed and filled with the emotional daring of a celebrated storyteller – both onscreen and onstage – Charles dives into wide-ranging themes of earth-shattering romance, big-picture reflection, and more. 

Love Ain’t Pretty, produced by Marshall Altman (Frankie Ballard, Marc Broussard, Matt Nathanson) to sculpt a calm, controlled, and beautifully contoured sound, blending the forward momentum of Country Rock with Rootsy small-town charm, and a warm, soulful vocal, is a culmination of a lifetime of growth, and like its title suggests, it hasn’t always been pretty, but it has been a beautiful ride. 

In addition, Esten serves as the National Honorary Spokesperson for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual Light The Night Walk, and is a board member and volunteer for Musicians On Call.