“My Son,” Eddie Montgomery’s powerful new song, has served as a catharsis for some of the old anguish the singer has been carrying around for “a long time,” he believes it happened that way for a reason.
The Montgomery Gentry singer has been through more than one man’s share of misfortune. His three-year-old son died in a vehicle accident in 1991, and his 19-year-old son, the Hunter, died of an overdose in 2015.
Montgomery lost his musical partner and best friend, Troy Gentry, in a helicopter crash in 2017, and he says that writing “My Son” has helped him deal with his grief.
“It was difficult at first, but for some reason, this song helped to relieve some of the pain I’d been carrying around for a long time,” Montgomery says.
“Many of us love people and try to keep our private lives secret, but when you’re hurting a little, that hurt may emerge through a pencil — and then you know you’ve got to let it out. That’s precisely what I did.”
Montgomery wrote “My Son,” featured in the new Western film Old Henry alongside Noah Gordon. He initially got his idea for the lyrics from the movie, but it evolved over the writing process, taking on a more personal tone.
“I’m not going to tell you a lie…”
“I believe my sons and T-Roy assisted me in writing this song,” Montgomery explains. “They assisted me in getting to the core of it, which then passed directly through my arm and into my hands. It’s a very special song to me.”
Montgomery’s upcoming solo album, Ain’t No Shutting Me Down, will include “My Son.” The Wild Bunch, Montgomery Gentry’s backing band for 20 years, appears on the album, and Tanya Tucker makes a guest appearance on the single “Higher.”
Montgomery claims the new project honors Gentry’s legacy while still being his solo debut.
“Troy is and will always be with me.” In a news release, he states, “He assisted me in writing this record.” “I gathered some of my finest songwriting pals, and we wrote about life – the good, the terrible, the ugly, and the weekend party.”
