Country duo Montgomery Gentry have had a long, successful journey to the front ranks of American music. Now in their 10th year on the national stage, they look back on their legacy which includes gold and platinum albums, countless awards and nominations, and more than 20 charted singles, with anthems like “My Town” and “Hell Yeah” becoming indelible parts of the honky-tonk landscape.
They have hit the top of the singles charts three times, with “If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “Something To Be Proud Of” and 2007’s multi-week chart-topper “Lucky Man.” And now, with the release of “Back When I Knew It All,” they have taken another step forward.
The CD shows them at the top of their game, something not lost on their loyal fans, who propelled the album’s title cut and first single to the top of the charts faster than any single in the band’s history.
It all started when the Montgomery brothers, John Michael and Eddie, joined forces with Troy Gentry in a band called Young Country until John Michael landed a record deal, and Eddie joined his band. Troy Gentry went solo, winning the national Jim Beam Talent Contest in 1994. When Eddie Montgomery returned to Kentucky, he and Troy Gentry found themselves on stage together at various charity concerts and they decided to join forces again.
“It just seemed like the more we were playing together around town, the bigger our following got,” Troy Gentry said.
1999’s “Tattoos and Scars” announced them as a new force in country music, deeply rooted in the blue collar honky-tonk ethos that had sometimes been overlooked in the crossover success of the ‘90s. By their third album, 2002’s “My Town,” they had become leaders of a movement that would come to breathe new fire into country music – drawing from established artists like Hank Jr. and rock and roll.
The hits came with regularity. Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry were named the CMA’s Duo of the Year in 2000, and received that year’s American Music Award for Favorite New Artist–Country, the Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Vocal Group or Duo, and the 2000 and 2001 Radio & Records Readers’ Poll award for Top Country Duo. The duo performed for well over a million fans, both as headliners and as part of Kenny Chesney’s “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” tours in 2002 and 2003, and the Brooks & Dunn “Neon Circus & Wild West Show” in 2001.
Their place as honky-tonk ambassadors has long since been established. They were part of the Rolling Stone 40th anniversary issue, they are integral parts of Farm Aid and Country in the Rockies, and they joined forces with Maya Angelou after the release of “Some People Change.”
Through it all, they remain one with their fans, people who live fully, love richly, and work and play for all they’re worth. “Back When I Knew It All” continues their tradition of connectedness as it restates their position as the honky-tonk poets of their generation.
“We keep to our roots,” Eddie Montgomery said. “We’ll always talk about the good, the bad, the ugly and the party on the weekend. We’ll always include the Man Upstairs and our American heroes.”
Montgomery Gentry plays two shows at Emerald Queen Casino, July 9 and 10 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $95. Call (888) 831-7655 or go to http://www.ticketmaster.com for tickets.
