Mark Herndon is back behind his drum kit. For more than 20 years, the drummer hasn’t played with his former band, Alabama, but that all changed on Aug. 23.
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During Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry’s sold out show in Huntsville, Alabama, the men surprised the crowd by having Herndon sneak around to the drums during the last song of their encore.
According to People, fans didn’t clock Herndon’s appearance at first, but they got the surprise of a lifetime when he joined his bandmates front and center after performing “Mountain Music.”
Cousins Owen and Gentry founded Alabama in 1969, and they were soon joined by their other cousin, the late Jeff Cook.
Herndon didn’t come onto the scene until 10 years later. Once he arrived, though, Herndon stayed in his role for decades.
While Herndon joined the band for their 2004 reunion tour, personal and legal issues between him and other members soon ended his tenure in Alabama. Because of that, Herndon was not on drums for the band’s 2013 reunion tour.
How Mark Herndon’s Surprise Alabama Appearance Came to Be
Despite Herndon’s exit from Alabama, Gentry told People that he didn’t “burn bridges” with his former bandmate, adding, “Me and Mark continued to be friends over the years.”
When Gentry and Herndon met for lunch weeks before the Huntsville show, the former man invited the latter one to join him at one of the tour stops. It wasn’t until the morning of the concert, however, that Gentry asked Herndon to play a song with the band.
“It just fell together,” Gentry said. “The good Lord blesses us sometimes to do things that we can’t do. All we can do is kind of be in the wings and kind of hope for things. Like I said, we make plans, and He laughs. But there’s nothing He can’t do.”
The experience was one Herndon will never forget.
“I felt like a little kid all day,” he said. “It was so cathartic for everybody. I think it was on God’s time. I really do. It was magic all over again.”
Gentry agreed, stating, “It was a very special night.”
“Mark was with us through thick and thin over the years. You’ve got to have some grit to stay together through those years when you ain’t making no money, and it seemed like your career is going nowhere sometimes,” Gentry said. “But at the end of the day, that’s really all we had was each other. Sure, we miss Jeff. But having Mark back there tonight was real special.”
Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
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