John Michael Montgomery’s comeback brings him to Norman
A version of this story ran in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Singer hoping for fresh start
New album, restored health give country hitmaker brighter outlook
Back in 2000, John Michael Montgomery stepped in a hole, literally and figuratively.
“I was on my farm and I stepped in a groundhog hole and it had a big ol’ sharp rock in it and it snapped my shin in half,” the country crooner said in a candid phone interview from his pickup truck on his Kentucky spread. “I had never had any injuries before in my life. … and it seemed like from there on, things just started falling downhill.”
Over the next five years, the singer of chart-toppers such as “Life’s a Dance,” “I Swear” and “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” endured seven surgeries, worsening anxiety attacks and problems with prescription drugs and alcohol. Plus, his record label, Warner Bros., was sold and downsized, leaving him without a musical home.
After enduring various physical therapies, starting his own label and spending 30 days earlier this year in rehab, Montgomery, 43, is healthier than he has been in 10 years and released last week his 10th studio album, “Time Flies.”
The singer has been making the rounds to Walmart stores across the country, meeting with fans and signing copies of his new CD. He will be at Walmart Supercenter, 333 Interstate Drive in Norman, at 6 p.m. o22 today.
Since it has been more than four years since his last album, 2004’s “Letters from Home,” Montgomery said the sessions are giving him a chance to reconnect with fans.
“I’m always grateful to the fans I have because when everybody else gives up on you, your true, hard fans, they’ll stay with you.”
Tough times
During the hardships of the past few years, he said stalwart fans have sent letters to let him know they were thinking of him. He didn’t stop touring, but health problems slowed his career.
The broken leg didn’t heal properly, so another surgery was needed. to put in a titanium rod. He had a hip replacement, tonsillectomy and dental operations. He was diagnosed with acoustic neuroma, a noncancerous growth on the nerve that runs from the brain to the inner ear.
“Everybody’ll tell you, the injury ain’t as bad as the time spent healing,” he said. “You have tubes down your throat, it’s tough on your vocal chords … so you have to rehabilitate them, too.”
The troubles worsened the anxiety attacks he has battled since his youth. He found himself taking prescription drugs for pain, anxiety and insomnia – and drinking more than normal.
“It was all snowballing into a big ol’ ugly road to hell,” he said. “After a while, everything just happens at one time, and you’re like, ‘OK, I got do something, it’s gone beyond where I don’t have control over my life any more.’ So, rehab was the obvious answer.”
Shortly before he spent a month getting professional help, he recorded one of the last tracks for his new album: “Drunkard’s Prayer,” a song that hit home for him.
‘Drunkard’s Prayer’ was definitely personal,” he said. “I was praying, just asking for any help that I could get from God or anybody. Just somebody to help me.”
New beginnings
Rehab helped him “straighten my head out,” and releasing a new album gives him something to look forward to, including a 60- to 80-stop tour next year.
“I love to tour, but it always makes it more fun when you’ve got new songs to sing in the show,” he said.
“Time Flies” is the first album on his Stringtown Records, and he enjoyed the creative freedom and time he was able to put in it. As on his past releases, he applied his rich baritone to a mix of heartfelt ballads (”Forever”), funny ditties (”With My Shirt On”) and philosophical fare (”All in a Day”). He also co-wrote “Brothers Till the End,” about his musical childhood with his parents and older brother Eddie Montgomery of country duo Montgomery Gentry.
The younger Montgomery said he would like to eventually add more artists to his label and “give them a chance to live the dream that I was able to do.”
He added with a laugh, “I watch out for holes everywhere I go now, I can tell you that. On the farm and in real life.”
Personal appearance
Who: Country music star John Michael Montgomery.
What: The singer will sign copies of “Time Flies,” his new CD and first album in more than four years, at Walmart Supercenter on the west side of Norman. A special edition of the album has been created exclusively for Walmart, and it features a video of Montgomery’s first single from the album, “If You Ever Went Away.”
When: 6 p.m. today.
Where: Walmart Supercenter No. 212, 333 Interstate Drive, Norman.
Information: 329-4000 or www.johnmichaelmontgomery.com.
-BAM
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