After Troy Gentry’s tragic death on September 8, 2017, no one knew what the future would hold for his band Montgomery Gentry. Just a couple days before his death, the hard-rockin’ duo put the finishing touches on their album Here’s To You, which will be released in February.
In an interview, bandmate Eddie Montgomery said that it was some of the best vocals he had ever heard from Troy, whom he often referred to as “T-Roy.” Because they were a team for over twenty years, they had previously talked about what would happen if one of them were to pass away.
“I always thought I was going to be first,” Eddie told CMT. “We talked about it because I like to live on the wild side — me and him both. I wanted to keep going because I know T-Roy would be right here going, ‘I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t get out there and keep this going.’ I can’t wait to get out and play the music.”
Fans were pleased to hear that Eddie was continuing on as Montgomery Gentry, touring to support the new Here’s To You album. He revealed to Storme Warren on his Sirius XM Radio show that the backing band, who has been playing with them for decades, will be singing Troy’s parts on all the songs during the tour.
The Here’s To You Tour kicked off on January 19 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and luckily for us, was documented by a few fans. Before singing their 2005 hit “Something To Be Proud Of,” Eddie introduced the song by saying, “The last 5 1/2 months, it’s been hell, but I wanna thank y’all for having our backs. All these guys up here, they’ve been with me and T for 20 years, 25 or better. And I’m gonna tell you, that is something to be proud of, baby!”
Eddie kicked off the song, as he normally does, but when Troy’s part in the chorus came up, Eddie lowered his mic and let his band take over lead vocals. It is a bittersweet thing to hear this song without Troy’s powerful voice singing the chorus.
There will never be another Troy Gentry, and Eddie and the band are working tirelessly to make sure no one forgets that.
Watch the Sioux Falls performance of “Something To Be Proud Of” below.