Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry Talks About Moving Forward
Montgomery remembers the crash as "a horrific day," which changed the course of his life and career from then on out.
After Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry suddenly passed away after being involved in a helicopter crash, Eddie Montgomery knew he needed to keep their musical journey going.
Many years before Gentry’s accident, the two sat down to talk about the future of their duo if anything were to ever go awry. Coming to the conclusion that either one of the members would stick it out for the long haul, Montgomery wants to keep to his promise in a respectful way for his fellow singer and comrade.
“We said to each other, ‘Hey, we want Montgomery Gentry to keep going,’” Montgomery revealed in an interview with People. “It’s weird, I always thought it was going to be me that went down first.”
Just as many others in the industry experienced, the pain of losing Gentry hit Montgomery hard and he felt as though everything would be different from that moment on. The singer looks back on that horrific day as one to change the course of his whole life.
“A little piece of my soul got lost there. It was a horrific day, my world changed as much as the band did. It’s something that you never get over. It’s going to be in my mind and my soul for the rest of my life,” he admitted to the magazine.
Despite the loss, Montgomery released a song the pair were working on right before Gentry’s crash, “Better Me.” Montgomery dedicated the song to the man he looked upon as his brother, and plans to put out even more new sounds under the Montgomery Gentry name even though he will be the only one singing along.
“I’ve never done anything else but play music. It’s all I’ve ever known. He was more than just a singer. He was a brother and he was always there. As far as I’m concerned, we’re still making music together,” said Montgomery.
Montgomery made his first appearance back on the stage when he surprised fans and industry alike at the 51st annual CMA Awards. Joining Dierks Bentley and Rascal Flatts, Montgomery sang along to his hit “My Town” as photos of Gentry flashed across the screen behind them.
“Better Me,” featured on their upcoming album Here’s To You, is available to stream and purchase online.
