On this day (February 2) in 2018, Montgomery Gentry released Here’s to You. It was their first album in three years and was set to be the beginning of a new chapter of their career. Unfortunately, just two days after the duo finished recording the album, Troy Gentry died in a tragic helicopter crash on September 8, 2017.
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While the duo had last released an album in 2015, fans were still flocking to shows. They were also eagerly waiting to hear news about new music. After Gentry’s tragic death, many fans believed they’d never hear new music from the duo. Then, in November 2017, Eddie Montgomery surprised everyone when he announced that the new album, Here’s to You, was coming in February.
He didn’t stop there, though. He has launched a solo career and still tours under the Montgomery Gentry banner, keeping what he and his longtime friend built together alive.
Why Montgomery Gentry Continued After the Tragedy
Many believed the Montgomery Gentry would die with Troy Gentry. However, that wasn’t the case. Instead of walking away from what they had spent decades building, Eddie Montgomery chose to keep going with the band in honor of his fallen friend.
He discussed the hard decision and more in an interview. “September 8, man, changed my world and a lot of people’s worlds in our band and stuff,” Montgomery said. “After that, I had to stop and think, ‘Do I keep going on? Do I release the album?’ I had a lot of sleepless nights,” hr recalled.
“I got to thinking about it, and I remembered a conversation me and T-Roy had a long time ago. We put this duo together. Nashville didn’t. We’ve been brothers and best friends for almost 35 years,” Montgomery explained. The pair had many long talks over the years. In one conversation, they agreed that if one of them died or couldn’t stick with the group for some other reason, the other would keep the duo alive.
“At the time, it’s brother talk or havin’ a few drinks talk. Stuff like that. Then, September 8 happens, and you start really thinking about it. I called the band up, too. They’ve been with us 20, 25 years. I was like, ‘You know what? T-Roy would kick my ass, man, if we didn’t keep it rocking right now.”
Featured Image by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
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