When Troy Gentry died in a tragic helicopter crash last September, no one was sure what would become of Montgomery Gentry, the country music duo he formed with Eddie Montgomery in 1999. But after opening up in a statement, grieving the loss of his musical partner, and performing a tribute at the CMA Awards, Montgomery has announced his first tour without Gentry.
In a recent interview with SiriusXM's The Highway, the remaining member explained why he decided to continue Montgomery Gentry without his other half. He told Storme Warren:
"We basically just got done with that CD [a new album called Here's to You] two days before that horrific accident. After that, I didn't know exactly what I was going to do. And then I got to thinking about it. You know, me and Troy actually had a talk a long time ago, you know, as brothers. If something ever happened … each of us said we want the other one to keep going and keep the Montgomery Gentry brand and keep it rockin'."[facebook ]https://www.facebook.com/onthehighway/videos/10155... data width="800"[/facebook]
Anyway, he continued, "I think T would be kicking us right in our rear end hard if we wouldn't." Montgomery reiterated these same sentiments in a new video with Taste of Country, saying a lot of "sleepless nights" went into the decision.
Of course, the loss of Gentry leaves quite a hole in the music, especially since Montgomery says this new work was some of Gentry's best yet. So who will replace Gentry's vocals? Apparently, it's going to be a group effort.
"At first I was going to sing it on my own, but then I thought, 'You know, the guys in the band—we've been through everything in the last 20-25 years,'" Montgomery said on SiriusXM. "So I said, 'You know, I might kick it off, but our guys are great singers.' So we'll do some of the parts here and there and let the band come up and showcase them, too."
In the Taste of Country interview, Montgomery also gave an update on Gentry's widow, Angie Gentry, and 15-year-old daughter, Kaylee. "[Angie] lost her best friend, and Kaylee lost her daddy," he said. "That's something you don't ever get over."
Still, he says the family is doing "all right," surrounding themselves with loved ones and keeping busy. The singer ended the radio segment by reflecting on his late friend.
"If you ever met Troy, you'd never forget him because he's got that big, big smile … He always kept this big, big wooden spoon, and he kept it on the road all the time because he was always stirrin' up stuff," Montgomery fondly recalled. "Anybody that knew him knew that. He was just always a prankster, pulling jokes, and he really loved to live life. We had a lot of fun. A lot of times we had a little too much fun."
(h/t: SiriusXM's The Highway)
