Eddie Montgomery reflects on his emotional CMA tribute to Troy Gentry

Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery took the stage at the CMA Awards in November to pay tribute to Troy Gentry, his late bandmate and longtime friend. It had only been a few months since Gentry died tragically in a helicopter crash, and the wounds were still fresh.

Speaking to Alan Light and Mark Goodman of VOLUME (Ch. 106)‘s afternoon show Debatable, Montgomery recalled what was going through his mind that night. He remembers seeing a photo of Gentry right before heading on stage and thinking to himself, “Oh my God, am I gonna be able to get out there and do this?”

Despite the lump in his throat and moment of hesitation, Montgomery did not back down from the challenging performance.

“T-roy must have shoved me out there, I don’t know,” he told them. With help from fellow country artists Dierks Bentley and Rascal Flatts, he made it through the heartfelt tribute to his late musical partner.

Elsewhere in the interview, Goodman asked if he had given any thought to working with his brother, John Michael Montgomery, who initially helped him start Montgomery Gentry. “I’d love to,” Montgomery said, adding that he and his brother had “definitely talked about it” and that “our mom is really into it.”

Montgomery currently is performing across the U.S. as Montgomery Gentry. The 25-performance tour is in support of the new album Here’s To You, dedicated to Gentry.

Listen to Eddie Montgomery’s full interview ON DEMAND through the SiriusXM app on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at siriusxm.com.

Click here to listen online to SiriusXM VOLUME (Ch. 106)!