Personal Lives

Eddie Montgomery was born in Danville, Kentucky on September 30, 1963. He grew up playing music with his brother John Michael “John Michael” Montgomery and friend Troy Gentry. All three played together in the band Early Tymz throughout their youth. Troy Gentry was born on April 5, 1967, in Lexington, Kentucky. He met Eddie Montgomery at a young age and the two have been friends ever since.

History

The duo was founded in 1994 as Deuce and was later renamed Montgomery Gentry in 1999. They have released eleven studio albums for Columbia Records Nashville and for Average Joes Entertainment.  They have charted more than twenty singles on the US Billboard country charts and three of their albums have been certified platinum or higher by the RIAA.

The duo’s first album, Tattoos & Scars, was released in 1999. It produced the singles “Hillbilly Shoes”, “Lonely and Gone”, and “Daddy Won’t Sell the Farm”. These three songs peaked at numbers 5, 13, and 17 on the country charts respectively. Album was certified platinum by the

On May 1, 2001, Montgomery Gentry released their second album Carrying On. The album’s lead-off single “She Couldn’t Change Me” went to No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs charts. The album’s second single, “Cold One Comin’ On”, peaked at No. 23 on the country charts. The album was certified gold by the RIAA.

On August 27, 2002, Montgomery Gentry released their third album, My Town. The album’s first two singles were “My Town” and “Speed”, followed by the number 4 hit “Hell Yeah”. These three songs were all included on Montgomery Gentry’s greatest hits album Something to Be Proud Of: The Best of 1999–2005. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and has sold over 1 million copies.

On May 18, 2004, Montgomery Gentry released You Do Your Thing. The album’s title track peaked at No. 22 on the country charts, followed by “Gone” at No. 10 and “Something to Be Proud Of” at No. 4, the duo’s highest-charting single at that point in their career. This song was co-written by Bob DiPiero and Chris Wallin. The RIAA certified the album platinum.

On October 17, 2006, Montgomery Gentry released their fifth studio album Some People Change. The lead-off single from the album, also titled “Some People Change”, was formally released to country radio on August 29. This song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in early 2007, becoming the duo’s fifth Top Ten hit on that chart. A second single, “Lucky Man”, was released on January 29, 2007, and peaked at No. 1 on the country charts in June of that year. A third single, “What Do Ya Think About That”, was released on July 30, 2007, and reached No. 3 on the country charts that October. The RIAA certified the album gold.

On June 10, 2008, Montgomery Gentry released their sixth studio album, Back When I Knew It All. The album’s lead-off single, “Back When I Knew It All”, became the duo’s eleventh Number One hit on the country charts. The album’s second single, “Roll with Me”, peaked at number 1 on the country charts. In 2009, Montgomery Gentry was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

The duo’s final album for Columbia Records, titled Rebels on the Run, was released on October 18, 2011. The title cut and lead single from the album “Rebels on the Run” peaked at number 32 on the Country Airplay chart in early 2012. A second single, “Where I Come From”, was released to radio on July 25, 2011, and peaked at number 8. On June 4, 2013, they were dropped by Columbia due to low sales of the album. In late 2011, Montgomery Gentry left Columbia Records’ Nashville division for a new deal with Average Joes Entertainment.

Montgomery Gentry released their first album in three years, Rebels On The Run, on October 18, 2011. The album includes the singles “Where I Come From” and “Rebels On The Run”. The duo also released a live album in 2012 called Friends and Family. The album was recorded at a show in Indianapolis and includes performances of some of the duo’s biggest hits.

On June 9, 2015, Montgomery Gentry announced the release of their eighth studio album, Folks Like Us. The album’s first single, “Headlights”, was released to radio on August 18, 2014, and peaked at No. 39 on the Country Airplay chart. A second single, “Folks Like Us”, was released in March 2015 and peaked at No. 37 on the Country Airplay chart.

On September 8, 2016, Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry was killed in a helicopter crash in Medford, New Jersey, just before the duo was scheduled to perform at the Flying W Airport & Resort. The duo’s publicist released the following statement: “It is with great sadness that we confirm that Troy Gentry, half of the popular country duo, Montgomery Gentry, passed away today in a tragic helicopter accident which took place at approximately 1:00 pm in Medford, New Jersey. No further details are available at this time. The duo was scheduled to perform tonight in Medford.”