Granger Smith will soon be stepping away from music. Smith, known for his alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., announced in early April that he will be quitting country music to pursue ministry and help people “find their purpose.”
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Shortly after the shocking news, the vocalist embarked on his River Farewell Tour. The multi-city run began on April 13 and is slated to wrap in late August. While visiting the Chicagoland area, the “Backroad Song” singer sat down with Taste of Country to discuss his career shift and the responses he has received from his devoted fan base.
“I think some people are trying to not think about it,” Smith told the outlet, referring to his drastic decision. “Then there’s another group of people that come in and say, ‘Praise God, this is amazing. This is such an inspiration.”
While several fans rallied behind the hitmaker, others were left disappointed that he won’t be touring or releasing music in the future. “There’s a group that is so sad,” he admitted. “They are like, ‘I hate this. Why are you doing this to me?’”
The platinum-selling artist mentioned that his children are also “sad,” and are eager to join him on tour. “So, my two bigs, London and Lincoln, they are sad in a way,” explained Smith. “They’re wanting to come as much as they can this year (on tour) once school’s out. But I think they’re excited at the same time.”
Smith and his wife, Amber, share three children together – a daughter, London, and two sons, Lincoln and Maverick. They welcomed their youngest child following the death of their son River in 2019. River was only three years old when he died in a tragic drowning accident at their Texas home.
Smith pointed out that Maverick will never know his star side, as he will grow up in a faith-centered household. The vocalist looks forward to showing his son old archive photos of himself on tour.
“Maverick will never know the difference,” shared Smith. “He’ll never know Daddy as a country singer. He’ll just look at pictures and go, ‘That was you?’
Despite the outpouring of different perspectives, he’s confident in his decision. Smith told the publication that his wife encouraged him to make the announcement and provide fans with answers.
“I had just a few shows left (in 2022), and I thought it would be a clean break since we didn’t have any dates ‘til about March of this year. And Amber was like, ‘Babe, you can’t do that to your fans.’ She said that I needed to warn them, so they had at least the opportunity to get a ticket to see the show one more time. And she was right,” he recalled. “I don’t think there’s a better example I could set for my family. I don’t think there’s a better example, and for my kids to be 18 years old, say, ‘Dad had a lot going on, and he gave it all up for God.”
Smith is currently working towards a master’s degree at the Theological Seminary. While fans snag tickets to see Smith one last time, they can also purchase his vulnerable memoir, Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache, starting August 1.
“Learning to live after loss is not a simple or straightforward process, but I’m here to help you discover that it is possible,” he said in a statement. “This is a book about that process. It’s about learning to live after loss, which actually comes to all of us at some point in life—one way or another. It’s also about my journey toward purpose on the other side of debilitating pain.”
Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images
