Troy Gentry

Troy Gentry, known to fans as T-Roy, was half of Montgomery Gentry, the hitmaking duo that was equally big with country and Southern rock fans. His sudden death in September 2017, in a helicopter crash bound for a New Jersey show, was a shock to the country world. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, he played in a couple of early bands (Early Tymz and Young Country) with Eddie Montgomery, a childhood friend who'd be his longtime musical partner. The pair briefly went separate ways while Gentry attended the University of Kentucky and then graduated from Lexington Community College. Working as a solo artist, Gentry won a Jim Beam-sponsored talent contest in 1994 and opened shows for Patty Loveless and Tracy Byrd. But he ultimately reunited with his partner in a duo that was first named Deuce and then Montgomery Gentry. The band scored a long string of hits over the next two decades, with a sound indebted to the Skynyrd/Allmans school of Southern rock. The pair alternated lead vocals (writing was largely done by outsiders) and the songs alternately celebrated old-fashioned, hard-working values (the third hit, "Daddy Won't Sell the Farm") and the pleasures of hellraising (the fifth hit, "All Night Long," which featured country-rock founder Charlie Daniels). A later single, "Hell Yeah," combined both themes and threw a Merle Haggard namecheck into the bargain.  2004 brought "If You Ever Stop Loving Me"- not just their first Number One (of five total), but the first ever to include the line "Hard times, bad luck, sometimes life sucks."  Another hit from that year, "You Do Your Thing," summed up their attitude, sounding like an update of Skynyrd's "Simple Man." The duo was inaugurated into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009 at Charlie Daniels' behest, and worked with other country stars including Toby Keith (on the single "I Pick My Parties") and Tracy Byrd (on his hit "The Truth About Men"). Gentry sang lead on one of their last hits, the 2013's eyebrow-raising single "Titty's Beer". Despite their redneck image, the poet Maya Angelou invited them to open for her when she played at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Gentry supported numerous charities including breast cancer research; his wife Angie was successfully treated for the disease. He was also an avid hunter which drew some backlash when he shot a black bear that he'd purchased from a Minnesota wildlife facility; he publically apologized and temporarily gave up hunting. Gentry died on September 8, 2017 when the helicopter that was taking him to a show experienced engine failure in Medford, New Jersey. A week later Gentry was given a memorial service at the Grand Ole Opry House, attended by country royalty including Keith Urban, Travis Tritt, Randy Owen, Randy Travis, Ricky Skaggs, and Michael Ray. Montgomery attended wearing a bowtie with the Batman insignia, a tribute to his partner's love for all things Bat-related.