fbpx
Wikipedia

Ty Herndon

February 05, 2023

Boyd Tyrone Herndon (born May 2, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His music career began in the 1980s as a member of the Tennessee River Boys, a predecessor to the country band Diamond Rio. Herndon quit the band early on and gained his first national exposure as a competitor on Star Search. He then played at various honky-tonks in Texas. After signing to Epic Records in 1993, Herndon made his debut in 1995 with his number one single, "What Mattered Most". This was followed that same year by the release of his first album, also titled What Mattered Most.

Ty Herndon
Herndon at the 2009 Point of Hope Fundraiser pre-party
Background information
Birth nameBoyd Tyrone Herndon[1]
Born (1962-05-02) May 2, 1962 (age 60)[1]
Meridian, Mississippi, U.S.
OriginNashville, Tennessee, U.S.
GenresCountry
OccupationsSinger-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1983–present
Labels
  • Epic
  • Titan Pyramid
  • FUNL
  • BFD
  • Pivotal
Formerly ofTennessee River Boys
Spouse(s)Renee Posey (1993–2002)
Partner(s)Matt Collum (2010–2021)
Websitetyherndon.com

Herndon released three more studio albums and a compilation for Epic: Living in a Moment (1996), Big Hopes (1998), Steam (1999), and This Is Ty Herndon: Greatest Hits (2002). He recorded a Christmas album in 2002 before a recording hiatus. He returned with his fifth studio album, Right About Now (2007) for the Titan Pyramid label; his sixth studio release, Journey On, followed in 2010. Herndon has charted a total of 17 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. This figure includes three number ones: "What Mattered Most", "Living in a Moment" and "It Must Be Love". His singles "I Want My Goodbye Back", "Loved Too Much", "A Man Holdin' On (To a Woman Lettin' Go)", and "Hands of a Working Man" all made top ten on the same chart.

Herndon gained further media attention in 2014 after he came out as gay, becoming the first mainstream male country music singer to do so. His personal life has been the subject of mainstream media for other reasons, including his struggles with drug addiction and mental health. His musical style is defined by his singing voice and an emphasis on ballads.

Early life

Boyd Tyrone Herndon was born on May 2, 1962 in Meridian, Mississippi, to Boyd and Renee Herndon.[2][3] He was raised just across the state line in Butler, Alabama.[2] His grandmother played guitar and hosted her own radio show in Butler.[3] He became involved in music in his youth. Herndon's first performance on a stage came during this period, when he won $75 at a talent show in Toxey, Alabama.[3]

 
Herndon was a founding member of the Tennessee River Boys, who later became Diamond Rio (pictured here in 2006).

Shortly after graduating from Austin High School in Decatur, Alabama, Herndon moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in country music.[2] At this point he also attended Belmont University.[4] Herndon's first major role came in 1983 when he became lead vocalist of the Tennessee River Boys, a group that performed at the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville.[5] This band was originally intended to perform a one-time show to promote the park, but became one of several regular performers there. Herndon left the band after only a year to become a contestant on the television talent show Star Search.[5] Following Herndon's departure, the Tennessee River Boys underwent a number of membership changes and became Diamond Rio.[5] When his tenure on Star Search proved commercially unsuccessful, Herndon attempted to secure a recording contract in Nashville. He told The Tennessean in 1995 that multiple labels rejected him as they considered him a "pretty boy". Despite this, he found work singing jingles for Pepsi and Dodge, as well as demo tracks for other artists. He lost a significant amount of money due to an unfavorable management deal, which led to his mother having to sell her house in order to refinance the amount of money lost. In addition, Herndon's father died of a brain hemorrhage, putting further strain on both him and his family.[6]

Herndon then moved to Texas and found work performing in various honky-tonks across the state, in order to regain some of the money he had lost.[4][2] His tenure in Texas included a stint with Louise Mandrell in 1987 at Billy Bob's Texas, a country music nightclub in Fort Worth.[7] He competed on another television talent show titled You Write the Songs in 1987, but was unsuccessful. Herndon also appeared on The Porter Wagoner Show, a musical variety show hosted by country singer Porter Wagoner.[8] By 1989 he had formed a backing band called Bayou. This act opened for Little Texas in 1989 prior to that band's signing with Warner Records.[9] In 1993, Herndon won a local music award called Texas Entertainer of the Year.[10] At the awards ceremony, Herndon was discovered by a representative of Epic Records, and he signed with the label later in the year.[3]

Career

1995–96: What Mattered Most

Herndon began recording music for Epic in 1994.[6] He made his debut in early 1995 with the single "What Mattered Most", a song written by Gary Burr and Vince Melamed.[1] The song went to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in the United States and the former RPM country music charts in Canada.[1][11] Follow-up single "I Want My Goodbye Back" reached a Hot Country Songs peak of number seven in 1995.[1] Its b-side, a duet with Stephanie Bentley titled "Heart Half Empty", peaked at number 21 in early 1996.[1] "In Your Face" was the last single from What Mattered Most. This song was the least successful, charting for only two weeks and reaching number 63.[1]

The album included backing vocals from several artists on Epic or sister label Columbia Records, including Patty Loveless, Joe Diffie, Ron Wallace, and Gibson/Miller Band member Blue Miller.[6][12] Doug Johnson, then the vice-president of artists and repertoire (A&R) of Epic's Nashville branch, produced the album and co-wrote "I Want My Goodbye Back".[13] In addition to the singles, What Mattered Most included a cover of Jim Croce's "You Don't Mess Around with Jim".[14] Another track, the Vince Gill and Don Schlitz composition "You Just Get One", was later recorded by Jeff Wood on his 1997 album Between the Earth and the Stars.[14][15] Wood's rendition charted on Hot Country Songs that same year.[16] "Heart Half Empty" later appeared on Bentley's 1996 album Hopechest, also issued on Epic.[17] The music video for "What Mattered Most" was aired on CMT and the former TNN (The Nashville Network). Herndon promoted the album further by starting a tour in 1995.[18]

Michael McCall of New Country magazine rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, as he considered Herndon's vocal delivery "confident" but was more mixed toward the lyrical content of the songs.[14] An uncredited review published by Billboard was favorable, stating, "With a rich, expressive voice that is equally suited to pensive ballads and rollicking, uptempo tunes, Herndon is one of country's most impressive newcomers."[19] In early 1997, What Mattered Most was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies.[20] Executives of Sony Music Nashville, of which Epic was a division at the time, attributed the album's commercial success to a marketing strategy they employed at the time. Under this plan, albums by new artists were priced a dollar lower than the national average for sixty days after their release. These same executives also noted this strategy had been successful on albums by Wade Hayes and James House.[18]

1996–1997: Living in a Moment

In 1996, Herndon won the Male Star of Tomorrow, a fan-voted award from the TNN Music City News awards (now known as CMT Music Awards).[4] His second album Living in a Moment was released in August of the same year.[2] The album's lead single "Living in a Moment" reached number one on the country charts in both the US and Canada.[1][21] Three more singles charted from the album throughout 1997. The first was "She Wants to Be Wanted Again", which peaked at number 21 early in the year.[1] This song had been recorded by Lee Greenwood, Restless Heart vocalist Larry Stewart, and Western Flyer prior to Herndon's rendition.[22][23][24] After "She Wants to Be Wanted Again" came the number two hit "Loved Too Much" and the top-twenty "I Have to Surrender". Johnson co-wrote "Living in a Moment" and "I Have to Surrender",[1] and once again served as producer. Stephanie Bentley, Blue Miller, and John Wesley Ryles were among the album's backing vocalists. Also contributing in this capacity were Doug Virden and Drew Womack, then recording on Epic in Sons of the Desert.[25] Thom Owens of Allmusic wrote, "Although he is in fine voice throughout the album, Ty Herndon's Living in a Moment is bogged down by mediocre material that fails to given him a proper showcase for his talents."[26] He considered the title track and "Don't Tell Mama" the strongest lyrically.[26] Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly similarly thought "Don't Tell Mama" was the strongest track, but criticized the rest of the album as "formulaic".[27] Colin Larkin of the Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music thought this album had "a shortage of standout material".[10] The album's closing track "I Know How the River Feels" was later a single in 1999 for Diamond Rio.[26][28] Living in a Moment was also certified gold in 1997.[20]

1998–2000: Big Hopes and Steam

Big Hopes, Herndon's third album, followed in 1998.[2] Doug Johnson produced five of the tracks and Byron Gallimore, best known for his work with Tim McGraw, produced the other six.[29] Herndon told the Journal & Courier that he considered Gallimore to have a more "understated" production style that put greater emphasis on his vocals than Johnson's production did.[30] Lead single "A Man Holdin' On (To a Woman Lettin' Go)", one of the tracks produced by Gallimore, was a top-five country hit that same year.[1] After it came Herndon's third and final number-one single "It Must Be Love", which also became his only top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] The song featured uncredited backing vocals from Sons of the Desert.[31] Jack Sundrud, formerly of Poco, had co-written "It Must Be Love" for Great Plains, another band he was a member of at the time. When they did not record the song, it became available for Herndon.[32] "Hands of a Working Man" was also a top-five country hit from Big Hopes.[1] Walter Allread of Country Standard Time thought that the tracks produced by Gallimore, such as the title track, were stronger due to their "smaller" production style relative to those produced by Johnson.[29] Thom Owens of AllMusic was mixed toward the album, as he thought that it had "filler" tracks and "glossy production", although he praised Herndon's singing on "A Man Holdin' On" and "Hands of a Working Man".[33] Uncredited reviews of "A Man Holdin' On" and "Hands of a Working Man" in Billboard were both favorable. The former was praised for Gallimore's production and the "unique perspective...of men in difficult transitions",[34] while the latter was described as being appealing to working class listeners due to its lyrical focus on a father's struggles.[35]

In 1999, Epic released his next studio album Steam.[2] Herndon selected a new producer for this album, as he thought his previous albums did not reflect the energy of his live performances. He chose Joe Scaife because of that producer's work with K.T. Oslin, a 1980s country artist Herndon referred to as "one of [his] all-time favorites".[36] Herndon selected the songs for the album by performing them in concert so he and Scaife could gauge the audience's reaction to each. In addition, Herndon recorded demos with his road band, which he then played for the album's session musicians to give them an idea of how he wanted each song to sound.[36] Among the involved musicians were drummer Paul Leim, steel guitar player Dan Dugmore, and guitarist Chris Leuzinger of Garth Brooks' studio band The G-Men. The album also included a horn section fronted by Jim Horn, and a string section including members of the Nashville String Machine.[37] "Steam", the album's title track, was also its lead single. It reached top twenty by the end of 1999, but was less successful than the lead singles of Herndon's previous albums.[1] Two other singles, "No Mercy" and "A Love Like That", peaked even lower.[1]

 
Herndon's 1999 album Steam included a cover of "You Can Leave Your Hat On", made famous by Joe Cocker.

Also included on the album was a cover of Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On", which Herndon had sung in concert for many years prior.[36] While not a single, the cover charted at number 72 on Hot Country Songs in 2000 due to unsolicited radio airplay.[1] Herndon considered the album more "sexy" than his previous efforts, citing both this cover and the title track as examples.[36] Dan MacIntosh of Country Standard Time considered Herndon "too darn polite" for such material, also criticizing the album for "by-the-numbers" arrangements.[38] A more favorable review came from AllMusic, whose Maria Konicki Dinoia wrote, "With a new production team in tow, Herndon has played a bigger part in selecting the album's songs...and it's clear he sings from the heart, as he always has."[39] Deborah Evans Price of Billboard found both "Steam" and "No Mercy" "equally sensuous" in a review of the latter.[40]

2001–2004: Departure from Epic Records

In late 2001, Epic released the song "Heather's Wall", which was intended to be the lead single from Herndon's fifth album for the label. At the time, Herndon was considering exiting the music business to star in a Broadway theatre production of Urban Cowboy, but decided against it. Paul Worley, the producer with whom he was working at the time, recommended "Heather's Wall" to him when the two were selecting songs. Herndon originally rejected the song as "too heavy", but decided to record it after the September 11 attacks inspired him to record music again.[41] Although the song was well-received by fans,[41] it was unsuccessful on the singles charts and his fifth Epic album was not released.[1][2] Epic then released a greatest hits package titled This Is Ty Herndon: Greatest Hits before dropping him from the label.[2] Herndon released a Christmas album, A Not So Silent Night, in 2002 through his fan club and official website. A year later, the Christmas album was repackaged with additional content and released on the independent label Riviera/Liquid8 Records.[2] Otherwise, he took a hiatus from recording at this point due to a number of personal issues that included weight gain, divorce, and drug and alcohol addiction.[42]

2004–2010: Right About Now and Journey On

He returned to touring and singing in 2004 when songwriter Darrell Brown invited him to perform at the Nashville nightclub Bluebird Café.[43][42] This led to him signing with Titan Pyramid Records in 2006 and releasing the album Right About Now in early 2007.[2] Brown and Herndon co-produced the album with songwriter Dennis Matkosky and session musician Jonathan Yudkin. Backing vocalists included Marcus Hummon, Joanna Cotten, Emily West, and Thompson Square.[44] Thom Jurek of AllMusic reviewed the album favorably, stating that "Herndon's voice is not only unchanged from his missing years, it's stronger, his phrasing is tighter and more expressive, and his manner of handling a song is entirely his own."[45] One track from this album, "You Still Own Me", was released as a single in late 2007 by Canadian country band Emerson Drive.[45][46]

Herndon's next album was Journey On, released on the independent FUNL label in 2010.[2] The album featured mostly contemporary Christian music songs, all of which Herndon wrote or co-wrote over the span of six months. Herndon said that he did not intend for the album to be a Christian project, but found that as he was writing, many of the songs tended toward reflecting his "spiritual growth". He also said that he found the album "fun" because of how much control he had over assembling musicians and recording compared to his previous releases.[47] The album was nominated at the 53rd Grammy Awards for Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album.[48] "Journey On" was selected by American football player Kevin Turner as the theme song for his Kevin Turner Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to research of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease, which Turner had been recently diagnosed with at the time.[49] After Journey On, he released a non-album single titled "Stones", which was previously recorded for his unreleased Epic album in 2001. FUNL released the song to country radio without disclosing the artist's name, and held a contest with radio programmers to see if they could determine the singer.[50]

2013–present: Lies I Told Myself, House on Fire, and Got It Covered

The album Lies I Told Myself followed in 2013, also on FUNL. Prior to the album's release, Herndon had performed the title track in concert, and chose to make it the lead single due to its positive reception from fans. He also noted that the track "Beautiful Love Song" had been written eight years prior and rejected by other artists, but he chose to record it because he liked the sound of the song's demo. Another track on the album, "Sugar", was co-written by country singer Sara Evans's brother, Matt Evans. Herndon compared this track to "Steam", and cited it as an example of the more "modern" sound he wanted on Lies I Told Myself.[51] Herndon financed the album through a Kickstarter campaign,[52] and supported it by touring with Jamie O'Neal and Andy Griggs.[53] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock reviewed the album favorably, praising Herndon's vocals on the ballads in particular.[54]

His next album was 2016's House on Fire, which once again featured several songs he co-wrote. It was his first release on the BFD label, and he co-produced with Drew Davis and Erik Halbig, a guitarist in Herndon's road band.[55][56] Herndon described the title track as autobiographical, while in comparison, "All Night Tonight" came from Davis and Halbig wanting to write a "beach song".[56] This was followed in 2019 by Got It Covered, which featured re-recordings of his hit singles along with cover songs. Among the songs covered were Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis", Carrie Underwood's "So Small", and Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me".[57] Herndon said that he had almost considered retiring from country music due to the lack of success of his last few albums until he heard "So Small" on the radio. When Underwood found that Herndon had covered the song, she spoke favorably about it on social media.[58] In 2020, Herndon collaborated with Kristin Chenoweth and Paul Cardall on a single titled "Orphans of God".[59]

Herndon's next single release was "Till You Get There" in June 2022 on Pivotal Records.[60] This was the lead single to his next studio album Jacob, released one month later. It included more songs that Herndon had written about his personal life. Country musicians Terri Clark, Emily West, and Shelly Fairchild provided guest vocals on individual tracks, as did jazz singer Wendy Moten.[61] Herndon told Spin that the album's title came from the account of Jacob wrestling with the angel in the Book of Genesis.[62] This was followed in late 2022 by another single titled "God or the Gun", which was accompanied by a music video.[63]

Musical style

Herndon's singing voice has generally been met with critical favor. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote of Ty Herndon's musical style, "His earnest delivery was a good match for the kind of streamlined country he sang—music that didn't shun tradition but was aligned with the anthemic, rock-influenced arena-country pioneered by Garth Brooks at the dawn of the '90s."[2] In a review of Lies I Told Myself, Matt Bjorke of Roughstock wrote that "Ty's always been at his best on the ballads" and "sings his ass off showcasing a vocal many of the 'young guns' could learn from".[54] Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote that "Herndon has soul and plenty of it. You can hear the gospel in his voice, his love of the old country songs, but his delivery is thoroughly contemporary."[45] An article from Music City News magazine re-published in the Asheville Citizen-Times said of Herndon, "there is a passion in his ballads, and in the case of...'I Want My Goodbye Back', an edgy emotional twist that sends listeners careening along with him".[64] Dan MacIntosh described Herndon as having "straight-with-no-frills singing".[38] Walter Allread wrote of Herndon on the same site, "Country music now resembles early Sixties American pop, with producers the real artists and singers merely interchangeable faces on record sleeves. As long as Ty Herndon's nice voice and face can front a hit, he's good for another 100,000 miles of touring and audio tape."[29]

The lyrical content of his Epic albums was met with mixed reception. Michael McCall of New Country found some of the tracks on What Mattered Most "shallow", such as "In Your Face" and "Heart Half Empty".[14] Both Entertainment Weekly and AllMusic panned Living in a Moment for formulaic lyrics.[26][27] In comparison, Herndon began writing songs in the 2010s; although he had not written previously, he thought that doing so would allow his albums to become more personal.[56]

Personal life

In June 1995, Herndon was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, at Gateway Park by an undercover male police officer. This officer alleged that Herndon exposed himself.[65] When taken into custody, Herndon was also discovered to be in possession of methamphetamine. Herndon filed a plea bargain and was sentenced to community service and drug rehabilitation, after which the charge of indecent exposure was dropped.[66][2]

In 2002, Herndon underwent a series of personal setbacks. Early in the year, he was robbed at gunpoint in Los Angeles.[67] He also had a lawsuit filed against him by a California dentist claiming that Herndon had not paid for emergency dental work and another lawsuit from a former manager for breach of contract.[68] In addition, he relapsed into drug and alcohol addiction. This led to him experiencing depression and weight gain. After his friends noticed he had not left his apartment in several days, they flew him to Nashville, where he lived in his mother's basement for one month before re-entering rehabilitation. After completing this, he returned to performing in 2004.[42] Herndon's addiction to methamphetamine resulted in a second relapse in 2020, at which point he was discovered in his apartment with both methamphetamine and Ambien in his possession.[69] According to him, this was the result of trauma from his first experience with metamphetamines at age 20, at which point he was raped.[69] This was an attempted suicide, and would later serve as the inspiration behind his song "God or the Gun".[63] Herndon successfully underwent drug rehabilitation a second time in late 2020-early 2021.[69] In addition to this, Herndon was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2021.[69] In August 2022, Herndon began a podcast called Soundboard with Ty Herndon, in which he discusses his personal life and mental health. Guests on the podcast have included singers LeAnn Rimes and Michael Ray.[70]

Relationships and sexual orientation

Herndon married Renee Posey on March 13, 1993. The couple lived in Dallas, Texas at the time, but held their wedding in Nashville.[71] During the 1990s, Posey worked as a registered nurse.[30] Following Herndon's 1995 arrest, his sexuality became a topic of interest within the country music industry, as many presumed Herndon to be gay. At the time, Herndon's manager told The Advocate he did not know Herndon's orientation, but thought country music "was ready" for an artist to come out as gay.[72] The editors of The Encyclopedia of Country Music wrote of the exposure incident that it "raised sexuality questions" within the genre, and that Herndon's continued commercial success throughout the rest of the 1990s indicated an unprecedented level of tolerance within the fandom.[4] Herndon and Posey divorced in 2002.[42]

Herndon came out as gay in a 2014 interview with People magazine,[53] thus becoming the first mainstream male country star to do so.[69][52] He stated that he had been in a gay relationship for several years at this point, and that his ex-wife and several close family members already knew.[73] Herndon was partnered with his boyfriend Matt Collum for eleven years before the two amicably separated in 2021.[74] In relation to his coming out, Herndon re-issued "What Mattered Most" in June 2019 with the song's pronouns changed to reflect a gay relationship. This re-recording appeared on Got It Covered, and Herndon commented that he wished he could have recorded the song in that fashion at the time of its original release.[75] Many of the songs on House on Fire, including the title track, are about the stigmas that Herndon felt he faced as a gay man in country music, typically a more conservative genre. He also credited conversations with country singer Chely Wright, who came out as a lesbian in 2010, with giving him the confidence to come out.[56] Another inspiration to Herndon was hearing Carrie Underwood's "So Small" on radio.[58] Herndon's announcement preceded the coming out of several other gay musicians in the genre, such as Billy Gilman. Herndon noted that his fan base was largely supportive of him after his announcement.[76] Herndon and Wright have performed together at benefit concerts for GLAAD on multiple occasions.[77] In 2016 and 2017, Herndon and CMT presenter Cody Alan hosted a Concert for Love and Acceptance to support LGBT youth in Nashville.[78]

Discography

Main article: Ty Herndon discography
Studio albums[2]
Number-one singles (Billboard Hot Country Songs)[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Whitburn 2017, p. 163
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ty Herndon biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d "Ty Herndon: the facts of life". The Tribune. August 19, 1997. p. 3. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Michael McCall; John Rumble; Paul Kingsbury, eds. (2012). "Ty Herndon". The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-19-992083-9. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Diamond Rio; Tom Roland (2009). Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio. Tyde Pod Publishers. p. 14. ISBN 978-1595552686.
  6. ^ a b c Robert K. Oermann (May 22, 1995). "A matter of time: Country's Ty Herndon goes from 'pretty boy' to hit maker". The Tennessean. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  7. ^ "Nightlife: Fort Worth". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 25, 1987. p. 20. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  8. ^ "'Star Search' finalist Herndon sings at Junction". Abilene Reporter-News. June 17, 1988. pp. 10B. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "West side preview". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 27, 1989. pp. 1–3. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Colin Larkin (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music. London, England: Virgin Books. p. 197.
  11. ^ "RPM Country Tracks". Library and Archives Canada. RPM. May 22, 1995. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  12. ^ What Mattered Most (Media notes). Ty Herndon. Epic Records. 1995. 66397.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "Country Jam USA". The Country Today. June 5, 1996. p. 19. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c d McCall, Michael. "Ty Herndon — What Mattered Most". New Country. 2 (7): 62.
  15. ^ Jack Leaver. "Between the Earth and the Stars". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  16. ^ Whitburn 2017, p. 405
  17. ^ "Hopechest". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Herndon's Sony debut shows what matters" (PDF). Billboard. May 20, 1995. pp. 1, 101.
  19. ^ "Reviews". Billboard. June 24, 1995. p. 62.
  20. ^ a b "Search results for Ty Herndon". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  21. ^ "RPM Country Tracks". Library and Archives Canada. RPM. September 30, 1996. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  22. ^ "Love's on the Way". AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  23. ^ "Heart Like a Hurricane". AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  24. ^ "Back in America". AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  25. ^ Living in a Moment (Media notes). Ty Herndon. Epic Records. 1996. 67564.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)<
  26. ^ a b c d Thom Owens. "Living in a Moment review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  27. ^ a b "Living in a Moment". Entertainment Weekly. August 23, 1996. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  28. ^ Whitburn 2017, pp. 108-109
  29. ^ a b c Walter Allread. "Big Hopes". Country Standard Time. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Ty Herndon finds time to rock with 'Big Hopes'". Journal & Courier. May 7, 1999. p. 3. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  31. ^ Schmitzer, Lauren (June 14, 2000). "SONS OF THE DESERT MAKE CHANGE AFTER SONG DISPUTE". MTV. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  32. ^ "'It Must Be' another hit for Ty Herndon". The Tennessean. October 25, 1998. pp. 11K. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  33. ^ Thom Owens. "Big Hopes review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  34. ^ "Single reviews" (PDF). Billboard. March 21, 1998. p. 98.
  35. ^ "Single reviews" (PDF). Billboard. December 19, 1998. p. 21.
  36. ^ a b c d "Singer Ty Herndon headlines Reinholds carnival". The Ephrata Review. June 21, 2000. pp. A9, A11. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  37. ^ Steam (CD booklet). Ty Herndon. Epic Records. 1999. 69899.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. ^ a b Dan MacIntosh. "Steam review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  39. ^ Maria Konicki Dinoia. "Steam review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  40. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (January 8, 2000). "Singles". Billboard. pp. 20–21.
  41. ^ a b Morris, Edward (February 6, 2002). "Ty Herndon's Comeback Hanging on "Heather's Wall"". CMT. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  42. ^ a b c d "Artists : Artists A to Z : Ty Herndon Biography: Great American Country". Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  43. ^ "Ty Herndon update". The Charlotte Observer. August 22, 2004. pp. 2H. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  44. ^ Right About Now (CD booklet). Ty Herndon. Titan Records. 2006.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  45. ^ a b c Thom Jurek. "Right About Now review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  46. ^ Whitburn 2017, p. 120
  47. ^ Rachel Sullivan (May 21, 2010). "New CD takes Herndon on songwriting 'Journey'". The Macon Telegraph. pp. 1E. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  48. ^ "Search results for Ty Herndon". Grammy.com. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  49. ^ "Journey continues for Ty Herndon". Country Standard Time. December 16, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  50. ^ Chuck Dauphin (January 17, 2012). "Ty Herndon Drops 'Stones' in Return to Country Music". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  51. ^ Chuck Dauphin (October 17, 2013). "Ty Herndon Returns With 'Lies I Told Myself'". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  52. ^ a b "Ty Herndon". Grand Ole Opry. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  53. ^ a b Jeff Nelson (November 20, 2014). "Country Star Ty Herndon: 'I'm an Out, Proud and Happy Gay Man'". People. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  54. ^ a b "Album Review: Ty Herndon—Lies I Told Myself". Roughstock. October 25, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  55. ^ Laura McClellan (September 20, 2016). "Ty Herndon announces new album, 'House on Fire'". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  56. ^ a b c d "Ty Herndon Embraces Life With New Album, House on Fire". CMT. November 21, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  57. ^ Jon Freeman (August 26, 2019). "Ty Herndon on Covering Carrie Underwood, LGBTQ Activism". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  58. ^ a b Alison Bonaguro (August 19, 2019). "The Game-Changing Message Carrie Underwood Had for Ty Herndon". CMT. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  59. ^ "Ty Herndon + Kristin Chenoweth release new duet, 'Orphans of God'". WNY Papers. October 23, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  60. ^ Robert K. Oermann (June 2, 2022). "DISClaimer Single Reviews: Ty Herndon Gives Radio Ready Performance On 'Till You Get There'". MusicRow. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  61. ^ Lorie Hollabaugh (May 12, 2022). "Ty Herndon Chronicles Journey From Struggles To Triumph On New Project 'Jacob'". MusicRow. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  62. ^ Amanda Peukert (August 11, 2022). "How Ty Herndon Turned A Stint In Treatment Into A Collection Of No-Filler Comeback Tracks". Spin. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  63. ^ a b "Ty Herndon Says He Hopes 'God or the Gun' Inspires Fans to 'Choose the Light' — Watch the Video". People. July 13, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  64. ^ "Jeff Carson building his reputation with 'Not on Your Love' and 'The Car'". Asheville Citizen-Times. March 15, 1996. pp. 18C, 22C. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  65. ^ "Ty Herndon arrested for indecent exposure". Reading Eagle (Pa.). June 16, 1995. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  66. ^ Floyd, Jacquielynn (July 18, 1995). "Singer Herndon given probation after felony drug arrest in FW; Exposure charge was factor in plea bargain, official says". The Dallas Morning News.
  67. ^ "Herndon Held Up in L.A." CMT. April 5, 2002. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  68. ^ . Archived from the original on March 14, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  69. ^ a b c d e Jason Sheeler (June 15, 2022). "Country Star Ty Herndon on Addiction, a Suicide Attempt and How Coming Out Saved His Life". People. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  70. ^ Lorie Hollabaugh (August 18, 2022). "Ty Herndon Talks Mental Health On New 'Soundboard' Podcast". MusicRow. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  71. ^ "Posey-Herndon". San Angelo Standard-Times. April 4, 1993. pp. 5E. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  72. ^ "Midnight cowboy". The Advocate: 71. July 25, 1995.
  73. ^ Leopold, Todd (November 20, 2014). "Country star Ty Herndon comes out as gay". United States: CNN. Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  74. ^ Tomás Mier (October 27, 2021). "Ty Herndon and Boyfriend Matt Collum Split After '11 Beautiful Years Together'". People. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  75. ^ "Ty Herndon Talks 'What Mattered Most' Reissue, Says New Generation of Country Embraces 'Everyone'". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  76. ^ "Ty Herndon Risked His Career to Come Out, But He's a Fighter". NBC. November 16, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  77. ^ Stephen Daw (June 6, 2019). "Ty Herndon Re-Releases Country Hit 'What Mattered Most' With New Pronouns: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  78. ^ Matt Bjorke (April 13, 2017). "Ty Herndon Announces 2nd Concert For Love & Acceptance". Roughstock. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  79. ^ Watts, Cindy (June 16, 2022). "Ty Herndon Talks Secrets, Crystal Meth Addiction and Nearly Dying Ahead of 'Jacob' Release". CMT. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
Works cited

External links

  • Ty Herndon Official Website

February 05, 2023
herndon, boyd, tyrone, herndon, born, 1962, american, country, music, singer, songwriter, music, career, began, 1980s, member, tennessee, river, boys, predecessor, country, band, diamond, herndon, quit, band, early, gained, first, national, exposure, competito. Boyd Tyrone Herndon born May 2 1962 is an American country music singer and songwriter His music career began in the 1980s as a member of the Tennessee River Boys a predecessor to the country band Diamond Rio Herndon quit the band early on and gained his first national exposure as a competitor on Star Search He then played at various honky tonks in Texas After signing to Epic Records in 1993 Herndon made his debut in 1995 with his number one single What Mattered Most This was followed that same year by the release of his first album also titled What Mattered Most Ty HerndonHerndon at the 2009 Point of Hope Fundraiser pre partyBackground informationBirth nameBoyd Tyrone Herndon 1 Born 1962 05 02 May 2 1962 age 60 1 Meridian Mississippi U S OriginNashville Tennessee U S GenresCountryOccupationsSinger songwriterInstrument s VocalsYears active1983 presentLabelsEpic Titan Pyramid FUNL BFD PivotalFormerly ofTennessee River BoysSpouse s Renee Posey 1993 2002 Partner s Matt Collum 2010 2021 Websitetyherndon wbr com Herndon released three more studio albums and a compilation for Epic Living in a Moment 1996 Big Hopes 1998 Steam 1999 and This Is Ty Herndon Greatest Hits 2002 He recorded a Christmas album in 2002 before a recording hiatus He returned with his fifth studio album Right About Now 2007 for the Titan Pyramid label his sixth studio release Journey On followed in 2010 Herndon has charted a total of 17 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts This figure includes three number ones What Mattered Most Living in a Moment and It Must Be Love His singles I Want My Goodbye Back Loved Too Much A Man Holdin On To a Woman Lettin Go and Hands of a Working Man all made top ten on the same chart Herndon gained further media attention in 2014 after he came out as gay becoming the first mainstream male country music singer to do so His personal life has been the subject of mainstream media for other reasons including his struggles with drug addiction and mental health His musical style is defined by his singing voice and an emphasis on ballads Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 1995 96 What Mattered Most 2 2 1996 1997 Living in a Moment 2 3 1998 2000 Big Hopes and Steam 2 4 2001 2004 Departure from Epic Records 2 5 2004 2010 Right About Now and Journey On 2 6 2013 present Lies I Told Myself House on Fire and Got It Covered 3 Musical style 4 Personal life 4 1 Relationships and sexual orientation 5 Discography 6 References 7 External linksEarly life EditBoyd Tyrone Herndon was born on May 2 1962 in Meridian Mississippi to Boyd and Renee Herndon 2 3 He was raised just across the state line in Butler Alabama 2 His grandmother played guitar and hosted her own radio show in Butler 3 He became involved in music in his youth Herndon s first performance on a stage came during this period when he won 75 at a talent show in Toxey Alabama 3 Herndon was a founding member of the Tennessee River Boys who later became Diamond Rio pictured here in 2006 Shortly after graduating from Austin High School in Decatur Alabama Herndon moved to Nashville Tennessee to pursue a career in country music 2 At this point he also attended Belmont University 4 Herndon s first major role came in 1983 when he became lead vocalist of the Tennessee River Boys a group that performed at the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville 5 This band was originally intended to perform a one time show to promote the park but became one of several regular performers there Herndon left the band after only a year to become a contestant on the television talent show Star Search 5 Following Herndon s departure the Tennessee River Boys underwent a number of membership changes and became Diamond Rio 5 When his tenure on Star Search proved commercially unsuccessful Herndon attempted to secure a recording contract in Nashville He told The Tennessean in 1995 that multiple labels rejected him as they considered him a pretty boy Despite this he found work singing jingles for Pepsi and Dodge as well as demo tracks for other artists He lost a significant amount of money due to an unfavorable management deal which led to his mother having to sell her house in order to refinance the amount of money lost In addition Herndon s father died of a brain hemorrhage putting further strain on both him and his family 6 Herndon then moved to Texas and found work performing in various honky tonks across the state in order to regain some of the money he had lost 4 2 His tenure in Texas included a stint with Louise Mandrell in 1987 at Billy Bob s Texas a country music nightclub in Fort Worth 7 He competed on another television talent show titled You Write the Songs in 1987 but was unsuccessful Herndon also appeared on The Porter Wagoner Show a musical variety show hosted by country singer Porter Wagoner 8 By 1989 he had formed a backing band called Bayou This act opened for Little Texas in 1989 prior to that band s signing with Warner Records 9 In 1993 Herndon won a local music award called Texas Entertainer of the Year 10 At the awards ceremony Herndon was discovered by a representative of Epic Records and he signed with the label later in the year 3 Career Edit1995 96 What Mattered Most Edit Herndon began recording music for Epic in 1994 6 He made his debut in early 1995 with the single What Mattered Most a song written by Gary Burr and Vince Melamed 1 The song went to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in the United States and the former RPM country music charts in Canada 1 11 Follow up single I Want My Goodbye Back reached a Hot Country Songs peak of number seven in 1995 1 Its b side a duet with Stephanie Bentley titled Heart Half Empty peaked at number 21 in early 1996 1 In Your Face was the last single from What Mattered Most This song was the least successful charting for only two weeks and reaching number 63 1 The album included backing vocals from several artists on Epic or sister label Columbia Records including Patty Loveless Joe Diffie Ron Wallace and Gibson Miller Band member Blue Miller 6 12 Doug Johnson then the vice president of artists and repertoire A amp R of Epic s Nashville branch produced the album and co wrote I Want My Goodbye Back 13 In addition to the singles What Mattered Most included a cover of Jim Croce s You Don t Mess Around with Jim 14 Another track the Vince Gill and Don Schlitz composition You Just Get One was later recorded by Jeff Wood on his 1997 album Between the Earth and the Stars 14 15 Wood s rendition charted on Hot Country Songs that same year 16 Heart Half Empty later appeared on Bentley s 1996 album Hopechest also issued on Epic 17 The music video for What Mattered Most was aired on CMT and the former TNN The Nashville Network Herndon promoted the album further by starting a tour in 1995 18 Michael McCall of New Country magazine rated the album three and a half stars out of five as he considered Herndon s vocal delivery confident but was more mixed toward the lyrical content of the songs 14 An uncredited review published by Billboard was favorable stating With a rich expressive voice that is equally suited to pensive ballads and rollicking uptempo tunes Herndon is one of country s most impressive newcomers 19 In early 1997 What Mattered Most was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA for shipments of 500 000 copies 20 Executives of Sony Music Nashville of which Epic was a division at the time attributed the album s commercial success to a marketing strategy they employed at the time Under this plan albums by new artists were priced a dollar lower than the national average for sixty days after their release These same executives also noted this strategy had been successful on albums by Wade Hayes and James House 18 1996 1997 Living in a Moment Edit In 1996 Herndon won the Male Star of Tomorrow a fan voted award from the TNN Music City News awards now known as CMT Music Awards 4 His second album Living in a Moment was released in August of the same year 2 The album s lead single Living in a Moment reached number one on the country charts in both the US and Canada 1 21 Three more singles charted from the album throughout 1997 The first was She Wants to Be Wanted Again which peaked at number 21 early in the year 1 This song had been recorded by Lee Greenwood Restless Heart vocalist Larry Stewart and Western Flyer prior to Herndon s rendition 22 23 24 After She Wants to Be Wanted Again came the number two hit Loved Too Much and the top twenty I Have to Surrender Johnson co wrote Living in a Moment and I Have to Surrender 1 and once again served as producer Stephanie Bentley Blue Miller and John Wesley Ryles were among the album s backing vocalists Also contributing in this capacity were Doug Virden and Drew Womack then recording on Epic in Sons of the Desert 25 Thom Owens of Allmusic wrote Although he is in fine voice throughout the album Ty Herndon s Living in a Moment is bogged down by mediocre material that fails to given him a proper showcase for his talents 26 He considered the title track and Don t Tell Mama the strongest lyrically 26 Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly similarly thought Don t Tell Mama was the strongest track but criticized the rest of the album as formulaic 27 Colin Larkin of the Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music thought this album had a shortage of standout material 10 The album s closing track I Know How the River Feels was later a single in 1999 for Diamond Rio 26 28 Living in a Moment was also certified gold in 1997 20 1998 2000 Big Hopes and Steam Edit Big Hopes Herndon s third album followed in 1998 2 Doug Johnson produced five of the tracks and Byron Gallimore best known for his work with Tim McGraw produced the other six 29 Herndon told the Journal amp Courier that he considered Gallimore to have a more understated production style that put greater emphasis on his vocals than Johnson s production did 30 Lead single A Man Holdin On To a Woman Lettin Go one of the tracks produced by Gallimore was a top five country hit that same year 1 After it came Herndon s third and final number one single It Must Be Love which also became his only top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 1 The song featured uncredited backing vocals from Sons of the Desert 31 Jack Sundrud formerly of Poco had co written It Must Be Love for Great Plains another band he was a member of at the time When they did not record the song it became available for Herndon 32 Hands of a Working Man was also a top five country hit from Big Hopes 1 Walter Allread of Country Standard Time thought that the tracks produced by Gallimore such as the title track were stronger due to their smaller production style relative to those produced by Johnson 29 Thom Owens of AllMusic was mixed toward the album as he thought that it had filler tracks and glossy production although he praised Herndon s singing on A Man Holdin On and Hands of a Working Man 33 Uncredited reviews of A Man Holdin On and Hands of a Working Man in Billboard were both favorable The former was praised for Gallimore s production and the unique perspective of men in difficult transitions 34 while the latter was described as being appealing to working class listeners due to its lyrical focus on a father s struggles 35 In 1999 Epic released his next studio album Steam 2 Herndon selected a new producer for this album as he thought his previous albums did not reflect the energy of his live performances He chose Joe Scaife because of that producer s work with K T Oslin a 1980s country artist Herndon referred to as one of his all time favorites 36 Herndon selected the songs for the album by performing them in concert so he and Scaife could gauge the audience s reaction to each In addition Herndon recorded demos with his road band which he then played for the album s session musicians to give them an idea of how he wanted each song to sound 36 Among the involved musicians were drummer Paul Leim steel guitar player Dan Dugmore and guitarist Chris Leuzinger of Garth Brooks studio band The G Men The album also included a horn section fronted by Jim Horn and a string section including members of the Nashville String Machine 37 Steam the album s title track was also its lead single It reached top twenty by the end of 1999 but was less successful than the lead singles of Herndon s previous albums 1 Two other singles No Mercy and A Love Like That peaked even lower 1 Herndon s 1999 album Steam included a cover of You Can Leave Your Hat On made famous by Joe Cocker Also included on the album was a cover of Joe Cocker s You Can Leave Your Hat On which Herndon had sung in concert for many years prior 36 While not a single the cover charted at number 72 on Hot Country Songs in 2000 due to unsolicited radio airplay 1 Herndon considered the album more sexy than his previous efforts citing both this cover and the title track as examples 36 Dan MacIntosh of Country Standard Time considered Herndon too darn polite for such material also criticizing the album for by the numbers arrangements 38 A more favorable review came from AllMusic whose Maria Konicki Dinoia wrote With a new production team in tow Herndon has played a bigger part in selecting the album s songs and it s clear he sings from the heart as he always has 39 Deborah Evans Price of Billboard found both Steam and No Mercy equally sensuous in a review of the latter 40 2001 2004 Departure from Epic Records Edit In late 2001 Epic released the song Heather s Wall which was intended to be the lead single from Herndon s fifth album for the label At the time Herndon was considering exiting the music business to star in a Broadway theatre production of Urban Cowboy but decided against it Paul Worley the producer with whom he was working at the time recommended Heather s Wall to him when the two were selecting songs Herndon originally rejected the song as too heavy but decided to record it after the September 11 attacks inspired him to record music again 41 Although the song was well received by fans 41 it was unsuccessful on the singles charts and his fifth Epic album was not released 1 2 Epic then released a greatest hits package titled This Is Ty Herndon Greatest Hits before dropping him from the label 2 Herndon released a Christmas album A Not So Silent Night in 2002 through his fan club and official website A year later the Christmas album was repackaged with additional content and released on the independent label Riviera Liquid8 Records 2 Otherwise he took a hiatus from recording at this point due to a number of personal issues that included weight gain divorce and drug and alcohol addiction 42 2004 2010 Right About Now and Journey On Edit He returned to touring and singing in 2004 when songwriter Darrell Brown invited him to perform at the Nashville nightclub Bluebird Cafe 43 42 This led to him signing with Titan Pyramid Records in 2006 and releasing the album Right About Now in early 2007 2 Brown and Herndon co produced the album with songwriter Dennis Matkosky and session musician Jonathan Yudkin Backing vocalists included Marcus Hummon Joanna Cotten Emily West and Thompson Square 44 Thom Jurek of AllMusic reviewed the album favorably stating that Herndon s voice is not only unchanged from his missing years it s stronger his phrasing is tighter and more expressive and his manner of handling a song is entirely his own 45 One track from this album You Still Own Me was released as a single in late 2007 by Canadian country band Emerson Drive 45 46 Herndon s next album was Journey On released on the independent FUNL label in 2010 2 The album featured mostly contemporary Christian music songs all of which Herndon wrote or co wrote over the span of six months Herndon said that he did not intend for the album to be a Christian project but found that as he was writing many of the songs tended toward reflecting his spiritual growth He also said that he found the album fun because of how much control he had over assembling musicians and recording compared to his previous releases 47 The album was nominated at the 53rd Grammy Awards for Grammy Award for Best Southern Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album 48 Journey On was selected by American football player Kevin Turner as the theme song for his Kevin Turner Foundation This foundation is dedicated to research of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig s Disease which Turner had been recently diagnosed with at the time 49 After Journey On he released a non album single titled Stones which was previously recorded for his unreleased Epic album in 2001 FUNL released the song to country radio without disclosing the artist s name and held a contest with radio programmers to see if they could determine the singer 50 2013 present Lies I Told Myself House on Fire and Got It Covered Edit The album Lies I Told Myself followed in 2013 also on FUNL Prior to the album s release Herndon had performed the title track in concert and chose to make it the lead single due to its positive reception from fans He also noted that the track Beautiful Love Song had been written eight years prior and rejected by other artists but he chose to record it because he liked the sound of the song s demo Another track on the album Sugar was co written by country singer Sara Evans s brother Matt Evans Herndon compared this track to Steam and cited it as an example of the more modern sound he wanted on Lies I Told Myself 51 Herndon financed the album through a Kickstarter campaign 52 and supported it by touring with Jamie O Neal and Andy Griggs 53 Matt Bjorke of Roughstock reviewed the album favorably praising Herndon s vocals on the ballads in particular 54 His next album was 2016 s House on Fire which once again featured several songs he co wrote It was his first release on the BFD label and he co produced with Drew Davis and Erik Halbig a guitarist in Herndon s road band 55 56 Herndon described the title track as autobiographical while in comparison All Night Tonight came from Davis and Halbig wanting to write a beach song 56 This was followed in 2019 by Got It Covered which featured re recordings of his hit singles along with cover songs Among the songs covered were Marc Cohn s Walking in Memphis Carrie Underwood s So Small and Bonnie Raitt s I Can t Make You Love Me 57 Herndon said that he had almost considered retiring from country music due to the lack of success of his last few albums until he heard So Small on the radio When Underwood found that Herndon had covered the song she spoke favorably about it on social media 58 In 2020 Herndon collaborated with Kristin Chenoweth and Paul Cardall on a single titled Orphans of God 59 Herndon s next single release was Till You Get There in June 2022 on Pivotal Records 60 This was the lead single to his next studio album Jacob released one month later It included more songs that Herndon had written about his personal life Country musicians Terri Clark Emily West and Shelly Fairchild provided guest vocals on individual tracks as did jazz singer Wendy Moten 61 Herndon told Spin that the album s title came from the account of Jacob wrestling with the angel in the Book of Genesis 62 This was followed in late 2022 by another single titled God or the Gun which was accompanied by a music video 63 Musical style EditHerndon s singing voice has generally been met with critical favor Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote of Ty Herndon s musical style His earnest delivery was a good match for the kind of streamlined country he sang music that didn t shun tradition but was aligned with the anthemic rock influenced arena country pioneered by Garth Brooks at the dawn of the 90s 2 In a review of Lies I Told Myself Matt Bjorke of Roughstock wrote that Ty s always been at his best on the ballads and sings his ass off showcasing a vocal many of the young guns could learn from 54 Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote that Herndon has soul and plenty of it You can hear the gospel in his voice his love of the old country songs but his delivery is thoroughly contemporary 45 An article from Music City News magazine re published in the Asheville Citizen Times said of Herndon there is a passion in his ballads and in the case of I Want My Goodbye Back an edgy emotional twist that sends listeners careening along with him 64 Dan MacIntosh described Herndon as having straight with no frills singing 38 Walter Allread wrote of Herndon on the same site Country music now resembles early Sixties American pop with producers the real artists and singers merely interchangeable faces on record sleeves As long as Ty Herndon s nice voice and face can front a hit he s good for another 100 000 miles of touring and audio tape 29 The lyrical content of his Epic albums was met with mixed reception Michael McCall of New Country found some of the tracks on What Mattered Most shallow such as In Your Face and Heart Half Empty 14 Both Entertainment Weekly and AllMusic panned Living in a Moment for formulaic lyrics 26 27 In comparison Herndon began writing songs in the 2010s although he had not written previously he thought that doing so would allow his albums to become more personal 56 Personal life EditIn June 1995 Herndon was arrested in Fort Worth Texas at Gateway Park by an undercover male police officer This officer alleged that Herndon exposed himself 65 When taken into custody Herndon was also discovered to be in possession of methamphetamine Herndon filed a plea bargain and was sentenced to community service and drug rehabilitation after which the charge of indecent exposure was dropped 66 2 In 2002 Herndon underwent a series of personal setbacks Early in the year he was robbed at gunpoint in Los Angeles 67 He also had a lawsuit filed against him by a California dentist claiming that Herndon had not paid for emergency dental work and another lawsuit from a former manager for breach of contract 68 In addition he relapsed into drug and alcohol addiction This led to him experiencing depression and weight gain After his friends noticed he had not left his apartment in several days they flew him to Nashville where he lived in his mother s basement for one month before re entering rehabilitation After completing this he returned to performing in 2004 42 Herndon s addiction to methamphetamine resulted in a second relapse in 2020 at which point he was discovered in his apartment with both methamphetamine and Ambien in his possession 69 According to him this was the result of trauma from his first experience with metamphetamines at age 20 at which point he was raped 69 This was an attempted suicide and would later serve as the inspiration behind his song God or the Gun 63 Herndon successfully underwent drug rehabilitation a second time in late 2020 early 2021 69 In addition to this Herndon was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2021 69 In August 2022 Herndon began a podcast called Soundboard with Ty Herndon in which he discusses his personal life and mental health Guests on the podcast have included singers LeAnn Rimes and Michael Ray 70 Relationships and sexual orientation Edit Herndon married Renee Posey on March 13 1993 The couple lived in Dallas Texas at the time but held their wedding in Nashville 71 During the 1990s Posey worked as a registered nurse 30 Following Herndon s 1995 arrest his sexuality became a topic of interest within the country music industry as many presumed Herndon to be gay At the time Herndon s manager told The Advocate he did not know Herndon s orientation but thought country music was ready for an artist to come out as gay 72 The editors of The Encyclopedia of Country Music wrote of the exposure incident that it raised sexuality questions within the genre and that Herndon s continued commercial success throughout the rest of the 1990s indicated an unprecedented level of tolerance within the fandom 4 Herndon and Posey divorced in 2002 42 Herndon came out as gay in a 2014 interview with People magazine 53 thus becoming the first mainstream male country star to do so 69 52 He stated that he had been in a gay relationship for several years at this point and that his ex wife and several close family members already knew 73 Herndon was partnered with his boyfriend Matt Collum for eleven years before the two amicably separated in 2021 74 In relation to his coming out Herndon re issued What Mattered Most in June 2019 with the song s pronouns changed to reflect a gay relationship This re recording appeared on Got It Covered and Herndon commented that he wished he could have recorded the song in that fashion at the time of its original release 75 Many of the songs on House on Fire including the title track are about the stigmas that Herndon felt he faced as a gay man in country music typically a more conservative genre He also credited conversations with country singer Chely Wright who came out as a lesbian in 2010 with giving him the confidence to come out 56 Another inspiration to Herndon was hearing Carrie Underwood s So Small on radio 58 Herndon s announcement preceded the coming out of several other gay musicians in the genre such as Billy Gilman Herndon noted that his fan base was largely supportive of him after his announcement 76 Herndon and Wright have performed together at benefit concerts for GLAAD on multiple occasions 77 In 2016 and 2017 Herndon and CMT presenter Cody Alan hosted a Concert for Love and Acceptance to support LGBT youth in Nashville 78 Discography EditMain article Ty Herndon discography Studio albums 2 What Mattered Most 1995 Living in a Moment 1996 Big Hopes 1998 Steam 1999 Right About Now 2007 Journey On 2010 Lies I Told Myself 2013 House on Fire 2016 Got It Covered 2019 Jacob 2022 79 Number one singles Billboard Hot Country Songs 1 What Mattered Most 1995 Living in a Moment 1996 It Must Be Love 1998 References Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Whitburn 2017 p 163 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Erlewine Stephen Thomas Ty Herndon biography AllMusic Retrieved May 15 2008 a b c d Ty Herndon the facts of life The Tribune August 19 1997 p 3 Retrieved June 18 2022 a b c d Michael McCall John Rumble Paul Kingsbury eds 2012 Ty Herndon The Encyclopedia of Country Music Oxford University Press p 237 ISBN 978 0 19 992083 9 Retrieved June 18 2022 a b c Diamond Rio Tom Roland 2009 Beautiful Mess The Story of Diamond Rio Tyde Pod Publishers p 14 ISBN 978 1595552686 a b c Robert K Oermann May 22 1995 A matter of time Country s Ty Herndon goes from pretty boy to hit maker The Tennessean pp 1 2 Retrieved June 18 2022 Nightlife Fort Worth Fort Worth Star Telegram September 25 1987 p 20 Retrieved June 18 2022 Star Search finalist Herndon sings at Junction Abilene Reporter News June 17 1988 pp 10B Retrieved June 18 2022 West side preview Fort Worth Star Telegram September 27 1989 pp 1 3 Retrieved June 18 2022 a b Colin Larkin 1999 The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music London England Virgin Books p 197 RPM Country Tracks Library and Archives Canada RPM May 22 1995 Retrieved September 24 2022 What Mattered Most Media notes Ty Herndon Epic Records 1995 66397 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Country Jam USA The Country Today June 5 1996 p 19 Retrieved June 18 2022 a b c d McCall Michael Ty Herndon What Mattered Most New Country 2 7 62 Jack Leaver Between the Earth and the Stars AllMusic Retrieved June 18 2022 Whitburn 2017 p 405 Hopechest AllMusic Retrieved June 18 2022 a b Herndon s Sony debut shows what matters PDF Billboard May 20 1995 pp 1 101 Reviews Billboard June 24 1995 p 62 a b Search results for Ty Herndon Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved June 18 2022 RPM Country Tracks Library and Archives Canada RPM September 30 1996 Retrieved September 24 2022 Love s on the Way AllMusic Retrieved June 19 2022 Heart Like a Hurricane AllMusic Retrieved June 19 2022 Back in America AllMusic Retrieved June 19 2022 Living in a Moment Media notes Ty Herndon Epic Records 1996 67564 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link lt a b c d Thom Owens Living in a Moment review AllMusic Retrieved June 18 2022 a b Living in a Moment Entertainment Weekly August 23 1996 Retrieved June 18 2022 Whitburn 2017 pp 108 109 a b c Walter Allread Big Hopes Country Standard Time Retrieved June 18 2022 a b Ty Herndon finds time to rock with Big Hopes Journal amp Courier May 7 1999 p 3 Retrieved June 19 2022 Schmitzer Lauren June 14 2000 SONS OF THE DESERT MAKE CHANGE AFTER SONG DISPUTE MTV Retrieved June 4 2017 It Must Be another hit for Ty Herndon The Tennessean October 25 1998 pp 11K Retrieved March 21 2020 Thom Owens Big Hopes review AllMusic Retrieved June 18 2022 Single reviews PDF Billboard March 21 1998 p 98 Single reviews PDF Billboard December 19 1998 p 21 a b c d Singer Ty Herndon headlines Reinholds carnival The Ephrata Review June 21 2000 pp A9 A11 Retrieved June 18 2022 Steam CD booklet Ty Herndon Epic Records 1999 69899 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link a b Dan MacIntosh Steam review Country Standard Time Retrieved June 18 2022 Maria Konicki Dinoia Steam review AllMusic Retrieved June 18 2022 Price Deborah Evans January 8 2000 Singles Billboard pp 20 21 a b Morris Edward February 6 2002 Ty Herndon s Comeback Hanging on Heather s Wall CMT Retrieved January 31 2017 a b c d Artists Artists A to Z Ty Herndon Biography Great American Country Archived from the original on January 23 2013 Retrieved June 7 2019 Ty Herndon update The Charlotte Observer August 22 2004 pp 2H Retrieved June 18 2022 Right About Now CD booklet Ty Herndon Titan Records 2006 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link a b c Thom Jurek Right About Now review AllMusic Retrieved June 18 2022 Whitburn 2017 p 120 Rachel Sullivan May 21 2010 New CD takes Herndon on songwriting Journey The Macon Telegraph pp 1E Retrieved June 18 2022 Search results for Ty Herndon Grammy com Retrieved June 18 2022 Journey continues for Ty Herndon Country Standard Time December 16 2010 Retrieved June 18 2022 Chuck Dauphin January 17 2012 Ty Herndon Drops Stones in Return to Country Music Billboard Retrieved June 18 2022 Chuck Dauphin October 17 2013 Ty Herndon Returns With Lies I Told Myself Billboard Retrieved June 18 2022 a b Ty Herndon Grand Ole Opry Retrieved June 18 2022 a b Jeff Nelson November 20 2014 Country Star Ty Herndon I m an Out Proud and Happy Gay Man People Retrieved June 18 2022 a b Album Review Ty Herndon Lies I Told Myself Roughstock October 25 2013 Retrieved June 18 2022 Laura McClellan September 20 2016 Ty Herndon announces new album House on Fire Taste of Country Retrieved June 18 2022 a b c d Ty Herndon Embraces Life With New Album House on Fire CMT November 21 2016 Retrieved June 18 2022 Jon Freeman August 26 2019 Ty Herndon on Covering Carrie Underwood LGBTQ Activism Rolling Stone Retrieved June 18 2022 a b Alison Bonaguro August 19 2019 The Game Changing Message Carrie Underwood Had for Ty Herndon CMT Retrieved June 18 2022 Ty Herndon Kristin Chenoweth release new duet Orphans of God WNY Papers October 23 2020 Retrieved September 24 2022 Robert K Oermann June 2 2022 DISClaimer Single Reviews Ty Herndon Gives Radio Ready Performance On Till You Get There MusicRow Retrieved June 18 2022 Lorie Hollabaugh May 12 2022 Ty Herndon Chronicles Journey From Struggles To Triumph On New Project Jacob MusicRow Retrieved September 24 2022 Amanda Peukert August 11 2022 How Ty Herndon Turned A Stint In Treatment Into A Collection Of No Filler Comeback Tracks Spin Retrieved August 21 2022 a b Ty Herndon Says He Hopes God or the Gun Inspires Fans to Choose the Light Watch the Video People July 13 2022 Retrieved September 12 2022 Jeff Carson building his reputation with Not on Your Love and The Car Asheville Citizen Times March 15 1996 pp 18C 22C Retrieved June 18 2022 Ty Herndon arrested for indecent exposure Reading Eagle Pa June 16 1995 Retrieved November 20 2014 Floyd Jacquielynn July 18 1995 Singer Herndon given probation after felony drug arrest in FW Exposure charge was factor in plea bargain official says The Dallas Morning News Herndon Held Up in L A CMT April 5 2002 Retrieved June 18 2022 Archived copy Archived from the original on March 14 2008 Retrieved February 18 2009 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link a b c d e Jason Sheeler June 15 2022 Country Star Ty Herndon on Addiction a Suicide Attempt and How Coming Out Saved His Life People Retrieved June 18 2022 Lorie Hollabaugh August 18 2022 Ty Herndon Talks Mental Health On New Soundboard Podcast MusicRow Retrieved August 21 2022 Posey Herndon San Angelo Standard Times April 4 1993 pp 5E Retrieved June 18 2022 Midnight cowboy The Advocate 71 July 25 1995 Leopold Todd November 20 2014 Country star Ty Herndon comes out as gay United States CNN Turner Broadcasting System Time Warner Retrieved November 20 2014 Tomas Mier October 27 2021 Ty Herndon and Boyfriend Matt Collum Split After 11 Beautiful Years Together People Retrieved June 18 2022 Ty Herndon Talks What Mattered Most Reissue Says New Generation of Country Embraces Everyone Billboard com Retrieved April 14 2020 Ty Herndon Risked His Career to Come Out But He s a Fighter NBC November 16 2016 Retrieved June 18 2022 Stephen Daw June 6 2019 Ty Herndon Re Releases Country Hit What Mattered Most With New Pronouns Watch Billboard Retrieved June 18 2022 Matt Bjorke April 13 2017 Ty Herndon Announces 2nd Concert For Love amp Acceptance Roughstock Retrieved June 18 2022 Watts Cindy June 16 2022 Ty Herndon Talks Secrets Crystal Meth Addiction and Nearly Dying Ahead of Jacob Release CMT Retrieved June 21 2022 Works citedWhitburn Joel 2017 Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2017 Record Research Inc ISBN 978 0 89820 229 8 External links EditTy Herndon Official Website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ty Herndon amp oldid 1136505113, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.