Ty Herndon

you guys. Today is an exciting episode because I have the incredible tie Herndon joining me. I am a super fan of him. I was a super fan of him when I grew up listening to his music. And the fact that I'm friends with him now and got to interview him was just, honestly, it was a dream come true. He sing the song What Mattered Most as a blue It was long, six and four, she was bone and bad mood. You know that song? It one song of

the year. He has sold five million albums. He just came out with a new album House on Fire, where he wrote most half half to most of the songs, which is freaking awesome. It's one of the first albums he's written majority of the songs. It's amazing, and y'all, this is such an honest interview. He talks about how he came out as a gay man in country music and what a step that was for him. It's such a heartful interview. I'm so excited. Here is ty Herndon.

Get that podcast level right? Okay, Tie Herndon in the speaking of House, House on Fire, that was a nice segue. Don't mean to do that right before we turn out of the camera. We're just talking about just songs that we love, but we don't really know the verses to every now and then I get a little bit nervous and hungry. I don't know, I don't know. That's all we know, but we know the point. Yes, that's all we need to know. And then we love that song.

We love that song. So yeah, that's what. That's the way. My whole album is just big courses and just uh hooky stuff. Yeah, your new albums called House on Fire, House on Fire. We're not getting to that yet. But I had a segway because that is exciting that you have a new album, because you are one of my favorite voices and country music. Well you're one of my favorite people, so that's good. I want to start off

with the game. We're going to complete the sentence. Okay, so you tell a word and then we'll just make a sentence to see what happens. Just pack a word, Just pack any word. Eat, happy, love, dogs, cats. It's about a word. I'm so confused about your game. Okay, I'll start. Um. Wow, look at that picture of Jason. I do you right there? He is young? Okay, cowboy? Um uh, you know it's playing a cowboy bar the other night. It was pretty awesome. That's the whole sentence.

You said you to say one word. Okay, I still don't understand your game. Okay, so I say a word so like cowboy, hat dog. Now we make it. We try to make a real sentence, but we have to do it rapid fire, think really fast. This is way too smart for me. It's going to be so good. Yeah, didn't understand, but I'll just play along. Say the first word that comes to mind when I say a word. But we have to make the sentence complete. Eggs. Oh I love scrambled eggs. But you don't say you have

to say another word. I don't understand. Okay, your game is dumb. I want to I want to color book. Okay, coloring book. I like books. Okay, I'm gonna say a word. You tell me the first day that comes to your mind. Okay, this is not a game. This is now rapid fire. We failed at that other game. We gave it. Or try one for the home. You explain it to me an email later. That would be awesome. Okay. What do you think of when you think of happiness? Um? I

think of my family. Who all is in your family? Um? My mom my sister, my nephew, my partner, my sweet publicist Christie sitting over there, to so many people, and speaking partner. That's what we're gonna get into too. Because you had a big moment where you came out in country music, which was a huge deal and really awesome. Thank you, thank you. I just walked right out that

front door. Just come on out. So we're going to get all into that because you've done so many amazing, like thank you, huge moments in your life that you've just like, I feel like it's been a lot of firsts. It has been, but I've been proud to do it. You know, I'm uh, I am uh at the end of the day, I say this all the time. I'm still the same old redneck I always was, really truly I am. But people know a little bit more about me today, and you're gonna learn a lot more about

me in this new album. So it's pretty right. Do you feel more yourself than ever? I do? I feel you know, you always say, you know, I feel like myself in my shoes. I feel like myself in my boots. I feel like myself when I'm writing songs. I feel like myself when I'm singing in the truck driving down the road. You know, I just and my authentic self.

And I really enjoy getting to go and talk to high school kids, sometimes elementary kids, just sometimes UM LGBT events, um, you know, or standing up at in front of five thousand people at a show and just talking about the song and why it was written. So I never was able to do that before. So it's it's pretty awesome, you know, just just normal of stuff. I mean, I guess we can just jop to this because it's a really big deal and it's awesome. How did you decide

that it was time for you to be authentically yourself. Well, one of my really good friends of Shelley Ride, which we all of country music congratulation Shelley on a great debut with her new album Yeah she had. She had a really great, great voice she does, and she's writing some incredible material. But we've been friends a long time, and I was just at a place in my life that I was willing to give up even being in

the music business. I was willing to give up what I did for a living because it was more important to me to be happy in my life. It was more important to me to wake up in the morning and feel good about myself. And I lived a life and in a career that was so covered up with so many different stories I could even keep up sometimes. So I just had to I had to shed that skin. I had to get out of that because that gets exhausting, overwhelming. You probably start to lose yourself, do you. I did.

I lost myself for a long time. And when you lose yourself, you start going down some pretty dangerous roads. And for me, it was addiction, just the wrong pills to take. You know, nothing was going to fix that, because there's nothing wrong with me. So, but you were having to act like you were someone you weren't absolutely and so many times you wake up in the morning and go, who am I? You know? Who am I going to be today? Let me see? You know what? Color? What?

What race? What? You know? Just it was just maddening and so for me, I really couldn't handle that anymore. So I made a decision. Um. It took about a year for the process for my brain to process it. You know, I really had to go out there research what is my life going to look like if I'm not doing coaching music? Would I be doing music? Would I be doing something else? Was I willing to just walk away from all that? And I came to a conclusion that I was so what So you waited out?

What did you What were the pros and cons of your life? What were the options? Well, the pros for me were that I would be authentic. I would wake up in the morning feeling good about myself. I could walk down the street with my partner, I could I could eventually marry the person that I loved, the man that I loved in this instance, um, and possibly have a family. I mean, there was a lot of prose

to it. You're ready to be you and everything. I'm ready to be me, and I was ready everyone to know me because a lot of people had some really wrong perceptions of me. And do you feel like you're pressured into that? Not at all? You know, Okay, so I never would have allowed that to be even in the pro and compile. No, pressure was not a thing at all. The pressure came, to be honest with you, after I came out and made this huge anoun. Do you feel you're pressured into not being yourself? Is what

I meant? Oh? Yes, absolutely, because I valued my career and being able to work and make a living and make my house payment more than I valued the skin that I was wearing. Totally. Yeah, it was really hard. I'm just so proud of you because to me, living authentically, at the end of the day, we're all going to die. I know that sounds morbid, but like to be yourself, especially when yourself is such a wonderful person, you know, such an amazing thing. Well, it's nice to wake up

and like yourself. I mean I tell kids this all the time. You know, to be able to to like yourself, you're gonna be a lot more successful in your in your life, so you really are. Yeah, And I have parents that bring their kids to my shows now And he goes, Okay, this kid just came out to me. He's seventeen years old. He wants to be in country music, and I'm like, well, that's awesome. He's got a responsibility to be the best damn songwriter, the best entertainer, the

best singer, and that really comes second. You know, who is who is he? He's got to figure out who he is or she is as an artist and let that be an addendum to who they are, not really take control of their lives because it can so easily go in such a negative place. And you started a ripple effect, like when you came out. I saw that, like Billy Gilman made a video and came out. You know, I don't know. I always tell Billy this because I'm

so cute. He's doing great. I'm so proud of him, and he's living authentically, not to like you changed his life to give him confidence. Well, I'm certainly I don't know that I'll take full credit for that, but he said it in his video. He said, when my buddy tie herd and just came out, and I think it's time for me. Well, I was. I was honored to lead the way with that. And I'll tell I'll tell

Billy this all the time. I said, you know, it probably would have been a normal news story when I came out and said, but you doing it right on the hills of me coming out, gave it rocket fuel and said we were everywhere. So I really didn't intend for it to be. Kind of blew my mind that we were trending one billion people out there, one billion

people over those two days. It was crazy. But um, you know, being a guy that's been in headlines before for not such great things to be in headlines again like that, UM, and to be celebrated was it was a gift from God back to what we were talking about.

That's when I really got nervous. That's when I felt a different kind of pressure because I was like, Okay, I walked out on stage three days after that announcement to a sold out crowd, to standing ovation, and God kind of let me know that I was going to get to keep what I was doing. Everyone was cheering for you and so proud that you who you were.

They were, and for the next week and months to follow, UM, you know, I was still playing the same hockey talks, and I just noticed there was a little bit more of a modern family out there, which everybody just get along. We're just we're just gonna play some country music. So, so you said you have been in headlines for not so positive stuff. How did you handle that and what was that period of your life? Life? Not very well? Um,

for my family and friends that know me. You know, I went down some pretty dark paths and almost lost my life more than once. Really, Yeah, so through addiction, through addiction, yeah, just um, not being able to live my life authentically and just watching you watch yourself, it's like you you're an out of body experience. You kind of just you're in the room, but you're not present because you know it's not you. Yeah, it's a ghost story. It's exactly what it is. Yeah, let's do it's story.

It's a ghost story, like you're not even in your body. No, and it could have easily had a very unhappy ending. But by the grace of God. As you know about me, I'm a very spiritual man and I think our paths are meant to be. And I certainly didn't understand that then because I didn't. I was like, oh, tortured Tie, you know, just oh poor ghost, torture Tie. I couldn't.

I couldn't understand. But anyone that I've talked to you that's been down some some horrible paths and had some bad things happen to them or just a shell of their selves, And when you survive that, don't you feel like it makes your story so much more impactful. I wouldn't have a story. I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you about it right now. What is my message? Well, you know, I'm not going to give that away completely because next year I've got a book coming. Yes, so,

um it's it's also called House on Fire. I love it? Yes? Was that kind of a representation of how you were living? Like you finally did you like? What is it a metaphor? Like you burned the whole house down or your house was on fire and you have to run a metaphor of that song? Was this when we wrote it? Uh? And there's there's quite a few songs like this on

on the album. But um, I just wanted to take all those memories and all those bad things, all those people that were hanging on the walls what that house was built of was not anything authentic, and so it was it was just simply about, um, I poured the gas, I lit the match, didn't grab a damn thing on my way out, and it's just about burning it down. But it's not about burning it down and running away.

It's about burning it down and rebuilding. Yes, because those same pictures are going to go back on those walls, but it's gonna be new relationships with those people. So it's it's really healthy. This is like, this is what life is about. These are the moment Hello. They are because like you lived through the fire, you know I did, and and um my brain would complete someone because I'm a big Anthony Robbins. I also walked on fire, did Yeah, I didn't burn my feet, So it was all good.

Isn't that part of it? Like you walk on fire to show that you can? Did you do a lot of stuff like soul searching? My my partner, Matthew. One of my first Christmas presents that I got from him was a one week Anthony Robbins seminar in Chicago, so we went together. He's a motivational guru like Tony Robbins, same guy. Yeah, Tony Robbins, Anthony Robbins Robins, Oh my goshes with Tony Robbins. Yeah. So he's like, I watched everything he does. He's my Twitter friends, didn't know you

he does. Yeah, but you've talked to him in real life. I have not touched him real life, just on Twitter. So isn't that same thing? Totally same thing. Actually it's more personal when you're talking on social media. Oh my gosh, I love yeah. Man. So that was one of my first Christmas gifts from Math and it was and I went, um,

I'm going back again. Uh and in Nick's February but um, more of a celebration for me at this at this time in my life and in business to move forward, to move my brand forward, because that's a really good thing to do. Um. But back to the ultimate decision, um to to come out. Um it started at that seminar. Yes, because I knew all the tools I was getting, I couldn't use any of those, you know, it was it was a mess. So to be able to clean that

up and it was it was great. Okay. So he that kind of gave you the push to be like, Okay, I'm I'm because He's all about being authentic, being real, and God will bless you for that. And do you feel like God has blessed you? God has tremendously blessed me. What's happened since this moment of authenticity has become who you are? Well? Number one, I can breathe. So you have been holding your breath for years? Yes? Number one? Wow, like a newborn baby taking your first breath, like and

it's a different error do I do? Um? But for me, it's just about making better decisions now. And you still fall into some some little habits like I'll still walk into a room and feel like not feel as small as I used to, but then I have to give that a little bit of adjustment and go, wait a minute, Um, I'm as big as you are in this room. So it's a it's a good feeling. Yeah, when you can pull that all together. And being in country music, you know genre I did, but I didn't at the same time,

I hope. So the only thing I really want to change is just the perception that people have of the LGBT community, because you know, I say this a million times. I didn't expect to talk about this day, but I like you Um, I love the fact that I can it down and go, hey, do you know any gay people? You know you probably have five or six in your neighborhood of just normal bankers, lawyers. It's like it's like it's really just kind of the way it is. And so, UM,

I love country music. I love that people are coming to the shows. Thank you guys, and they come to hear me singing. You know, they don't come to hear about anything else in my life. They come to hear me sing my songs. And when I'm writing. And this is really cool thing about this album. Gonna swing this back around right now. Um, this record is is um is gender free. The whole album is well about six songs in My co writer and producer Eric Halbig said, yeah,

we love Eric. He goes, do you realize that you're kind of hitting into gender free? Do you want to do that? I'm like, I didn't realize I was doing it, but let's just keep writing. And what I realized at the end of the day when this album was said and done, um, it doesn't matter who you are, where

you are, and you walk alive out there. You can take these songs from our experiences and I promise you you're gonna be able to put your own life into it with whoever you love or whatever you're doing, so that it's really what happened with this record, and that's one of the things I'm really really proud of in that I feel like it was a little bit of a spiritual gift and it happened so naturally. It happened

just that way. Okay, So I kind of want to start at the beginning just a little bit, and then we're gonna wrap back up with House on Fire. Okay. So you were raised in Alabama, again, playing out piano, singing gospel. You moved to Nashville out of high school, and right when you lived here was that you became a member of Today's Country Roads and we're performing the standard day's Country Roads. I still remember what was that. Yeah, there's a little dance movie that goes with that too.

It was opery Land, USA, which was like the thing I did when I was a kid. We would drive up the two hours from Decatur, Alabama to a half hours and go to Opryland. We watched the shows, and for me that was like this kid that grew up in bluegrass and gospel. Um something I just wanted to do. So you started living your dreams right at seventeen. I did auditioned my sister and I went. She drove me down and um um, I got the job and they

put me in a show called Today's Country Roads. Six singers, three boys, three girls, and we did the top ten on the country chart. Were current. It was a blast. Yeah, I got I was singing Ronnie Millsap, you know, Kenny Rogers. We were just it was it was great, We're getting to do all those songs and those great songs of the UM the late eighties and nineties, So what a great intro just into country music, like getting your career started.

It was fantastic. And the next year they changed it um the next summer to just the three guys, and we became the Grizzly River Boys and did that like become a major band. Well, then we changed it to the Tennessee River Boys, and that later became I left the band to go do edwit Man's Stars, and you wont and Marty row took my place in the band and they became Diamond Rio. Were you upset that you left Stitch? Uh? No, because I've never really felt like

a other than gospel and Christian music. I felt like I belonged in a group with that, But I never felt like I belonged to a group. Wasn't something I was ever interested in. You weren't like dang it. I left and then they became Noon. I really was, Yeah, I really wasn't. They were. You know, it wasn't your path. You got, you got what you came for with it, and then you moved on. Yes, And I went out to California and was doing my thing out there for a while, and then it was me moving to Texas.

I know. Because okay, so you okay, so you leave the band after it has all these name changes and ultimately comes to Diamond Rio. You leave right before diamond Rio was formed about Yeah, it took about it was. It was three years later before Diamond Rio actually took off. Then you did Star Church. You won the you won the male category of best Male Vocalist. So it doesn't well I didn't actually win and went all the way

to the finals. Sam has one is that Sam Harris is a tony Ard winning Broadway singer now but clearly launched career launched careers. Rosy O'Donnell Saw Your Brown. We're all on the same year. This is before American Idle, before before X Factor. This is yeah, this was the original Lee and Rhymes. He was on Starts. There's so many people are on that show. I totally loved that ship it was it did and then I got to do another television series called You Write the Songs that

came out of that. It was a songwriting competition. We performed the songs, so I don't know where those tapes are. That was one for two seasons. Yeah was fun. It was fun, but it was not helping my country career. I Saw Your Brown went right out of that and got a record deal. I came back to Nashville, did a couple of projects. He went out of was not out of Star Search. He was on Star Search the band Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, Mark Miller and Saw Your bro.

Epic didn't sign you from Star Search. No, they signed you because you went to Texas and then you won like Male Vocalist of the Year in Texas in Texas, Yeah, Texas Entertainer of the Year. I mean not just so once you already want Star Search. You've been in this band that was originally Diamond Rio and now you want to entertainer there in Texas. So finally national record labels. It just happened to be Margie Hunt was sitting out there,

who was working at Sony Nashville. She just happened to if I remember the story correctly, she was just she was visiting some friends in Texas. In Texas there a show or award show, yes, and so she was there. She came back to U to Nashville, said some nice things. That next Saturday, a couple of the executives came to town, and I had a record deal. Three weeks later. How many years have you been doing music? Now? At this point I had been I had been doing music for

ten years. Yeah, it's a ten your town. No one gets their big break talk about ten years in huh man. It was crazy. After that, six weeks later the record was done, and then of weeks later I had what happened number one record twelve weeks. Yeah, we still hold the record twelve. I never wanted. How many weeks we are? Your debut single what mattered most still one of my most favorites and had a great song, yesser Blue. Her hair was long and sixty four she was born in

Baton Rouge. Yeah, pretty song man, it's still my favorite to sing it is. Yeah, your first single twenty years ago and I never do it anymore with the full band. I mean I just left the moment. Yeah, that song is the moment. Yeah, that is a special song. That was a twelve week that got to know. Yeah, we had highest debut single of all times. Probably it was how debut single. It was the most added at country radio with nineties ads. Nine yet I can't remember. It

was a bunch of them. Yeah, man, that song. Business has changed and we're happy when we get there's three at three ads. It is totally crazy out there. Okay, So then you go on to have a gold album and you have you have a string of hits, and then you really second album, which what was not one called Living in a Moment? Living in a Moment. Yeah, it was funny. I had off of every album, I had a number one record and then second single it

would go to number five, third single, number fifty. I'd never could get a string of them off of bod albums. It's crazy. I don't know. It was the best songs, you know, looking at what I do today, you know, during that time I didn't write. Doug Johnson and Paul Worley and so many people did great job binding me songs. But looking back on it, I listen back to some of the records that goo, I probably wouldn't have cut that. Maybe it's not you now looking back, Yeah, so, but

great records. So okay, So, so let's talk to some of your hits you've had. Obviously what mattered most living in a moment, I want my goodbye back love too much man, holding on to a woman, letting go hands of a working man. You have sold over five million albums, and that's hard to do today too, and you're an elite club man. I appreciate it. To the fact that you have sold five million albums. That's crazy. People can't even sell a hundred thousand of a debut album anymore.

I know, you know in our goal of the days to get five million Twitter followers. I know social media is the goal, not the gold albums. To learn about all that stuff. It's been the last last four years has been a real education for me and education and social media world. So so okay, you've done so much. Okay, So then you got your first two albums and then that's where the rough Patch kind of hits that. I actually, no, they know the rough Patch hit right off the bat.

I had my first number one record, and I was on my second single. My second single was I think it was at number fifteen or something like that. And what was your second single? I want my Goodbye back song. Yeah. So I had a big drug arrest after that and some really humiliating things around it that happened that put me made me even smaller, you know, just I just I just grew inward. I can't talk about a lot of that because it's it's no because it's in the book. Yeah,

House on Fire, Tiger and in books. So let's make sure we get that book. House was on five people. Glad you're writing it all out and putting it out there. Yeah, and you know, the amazing Chris Willman from Rolling Stone is my is my voice in this, in this, in this novel, in this, what do you mean your voice? He is actually the writer gat so he's a professor to tell the story, to do it, and then he writes it all. I can't even play your game. How am I going to write that stuff down? That's what

people to help us get our stories out right. Okay, Hey, that's what it's a it's a teamwork, dream work, teamwork to make the dream work. Hey man. So okay, so right after your first single, you're on your second single, that's when it all kind of starts to swirl. Yeah, it all should have really been over in my life almost was over too right after that, Yes, but I had a great group, a great support group of people at the label and family that helped me at least

get back on my feet a little bit. And so I went to rehab and it was more of a media circus because I will give a little bit of this away, but I remember doing a press conference right outside the gates of rehab, which would never happen today. Yes, extra drama, this is real country. Apologize to your mom at the time, apologized to your wife, apologize to your family, and you know, I made a mistake, and just move on.

And that's for me what that was. So I basically had a little bit of a vacation, um thirty days out, one week later back on the road, So no healing time. So you didn't really heal at that time. Was it more just for media? I would probably say so, which is terrible today because you know, you you're you're You look back on it when you wanted to scream to the fans, you know, this is why this happened, and you couldn't and so and and that would never have

worked back then as well. So it's just my journey from that point was a part of my story today that saves people's lives. So that's why, and that's why that happened. You're gonna make me crowd of day. I am proud of you. It is inspiring to me that you have taken these hardships and these secrets that you had to live with because you had to because at that time it wasn't I don't know whatever reason in the industry like it was at the times were still

a little bit like stuck something. Yeah. Well, you know, looking back on it, it was who I was, but I didn't even believe it yet. You know, I was in such denial about who I was because I've talked to so many kids that especially in the South, that would tell me I would rather take a gun to

my head than admit that. Why is so scary? You know, how we're raised, what we're taught, who we are, who generations of people are that makes the blueprint of who you are, and sometimes that blueprint is really hard to change. So you got to start over. And and you've got a lot of elements. I tell these kids this all the time. You've got a lot of elements in your life working against you. The hardest thing you'll ever do is to be yourself. And not everybody's gonna like it.

So but what are you going to do with it? What's your journey gonna be, what's your story gonna be? And especially if they want to be the music business, because today things are different. So you've got to be the damn best talent you can be, and you gotta write authentically about your life. You want to talk right about it. Okay, So that was like album one and two. I'm good now, Yes, I want out tailor in on you. Crab baby, crab baby, I tell me why. That's another one.

Tell me why baby, why baby, something like that. Anyway you make me cry, I don't. I don't want you to cry. I want you cry happy tears. That's happy. So okay. So that's album one and two and you have you go to rehab the all that, But are you really that before album to album to release. Then you're we weren't even thinking about album too yet, so we were we had another two singles coming off of

what mattered most right off the bat, you or in it? Yeah, man, And you know it's it's crazy to uh, I don't I don't know this these facts to be true. But you know, I know there was a lot of nominations at that time that were taken away, you know, a lot of accolades that that would have come my way for a new artist that was doing so well. So also make you smaller, you know, you just it's just that the pounding continued. How long did you live small? Oh?

Until well, I say, I lived small tim twenty months ago, but the small wasn't as small as it was so because you're such a beautiful spirit. But the turmoil that goes on in someone's mind that no one knows about. And that's why your life is so important, because you're going to say, it's important to have have sparkle in your eyes, and you have it. Yeah, that's the main thing that people say to me today. And that's a

god thing for sure. Um that people that haven't seen me in a while, andy're like whoa, how you doing. I'm like doing quite well, thank you? Heck yes, okay, So tell me the cycle of what happened between Albuls one two, three, because then you released album three, which was your most important personal one besides House and Fire? Journey on? Is that on the four? That was three? Was big hopes? The albums just kept coming. There were

there were five albums on Sony. Yes, so every two years, year and a half we would do an album and be very well received. I would always have a hit single off of off of the album. My Sony family was incredible, But my life is deteriorating, and you can't expect the corporate world to continue to support you when your life is deteriorating, and uh, you know talking about

getting small, then you just disappear. Yeah, so I disappeared and the label we came to a mutual decision to leave Sony, and I think I had two albums left on that contract, but yeah, it was just time. And what do you do when you left? I moved to l A And uh, it's a bad idea. So if you really down the rabbit hole, oh yeah yeah, yeah, so you know how you know Hollywood famous? Yeah, I

spent a lot of money. You know, I had a lot of parties, and you just do that and then you wake up one day and uh, you know, for me, you know, drug addict, my you know, teeth following out, you know, looked like something from a bad character on I love this show and say at he Hall, but it was it was pretty bad. And um, um, there's a lot of stuff that that went on in there with almost losing my life again. But I came home my sister, um and now she was having my beautiful nephew,

and um to Nashville. Pivotal moment. It was a little moment moment because at that point it was something that made me want to live new life, new life, the new life of your nephew. Absolutely, yeah, absolute, man, I know. So it's awesome. So it woke you up, basically, came back, got my ship together. Yeah when was that? Um? And see Jack is about to turn thirteen, so yeah, that long ago. And then that and then that time I

started I started writing. And that's when the first time you started writing, because you didn't write the first five albums, I did not What did you want to start? You have something you learned to say, I had something. Daddy had something to say. Yeah, okay, so you're ready to get it out. Now, you're ready to start becoming yourself. But for the big Daddy, T big had So this is the beginning thirteen years ago, and when you started scratching at the surface and saying I'm ready to come

out as myself. Not necessarily come out, but like you're ready start getting it up there. I think I started laying the pavement back things. I remember um because I went back second time to rehab, and it was more about this your head. Yeah, it was more about connecting this and this. Yeah. Yeah, And I remember doing a my counselor you know. I was so full of crap that I had to sit out in the hall the first four days with a with a with a signer on his neck to sit I'm full of crap. Yeah,

were you just like yeah, I was still in show biz. Baby, how are you doing? Yeah, I'm tired, and how you I mean that guy that I'm full of crap? Yeah, that is what it said. Is said something else. But I had to learn to let all that go. I had to become that small person, humbled. No, I just had to let I had to give in to him. Feel it. Yeah, how did that feel when you feel all that? It's pretty awesome. We had a funeral for that guy. Yeah him, Yeah was great as I had

a lot of nice things to say about him. I did, yeah, yeah, but yeah, it was a great part of him. But the rebirth started at that point. I love actual like like putting physical, acting it out, acting it out. That really does help. It does, Yeah, it makes it really So I got out of the hall and came back in. But you know, leaving that leaving that facility at that point, Um, it wasn't about drugs, it wasn't about alcohol. It was about getting my heart and mind to connect on who

I was. So that started re started the journey. When was that how many years ago? Uh? Twelve years ago? Okay, so that started the journey at least. I moved into Mary Francis Rudy's guesthouse. And she's an awesome lady over here in Belmont Boulevard and Nashville, Tennessee. Um, she said, all right, you can live here. You can live here for free, but I will be knocking on that door at seven thirty every morning, and you will give me the schedule of who you're writing with and what you're doing.

So she was an angel. She was. And there was this amazing grand piano in the four year and I sat there just one note at a time started you know, I can play piato, but I really truly started to accountable and she kept you inspired on your Six months later, we had written probably twenty six songs for the Journey On album, and I started being bright enough to write with people. And that is to put yourself out about

that songwriting community. How that How that feels like putting yourself out there because you have to like say your tra well. Journey was a Christian record. It was a continued great Christian country, I know, so you know, God was speaking, the universal speaking my friends, and there's nothing better than the writing with Christian writers because they're so funny, goofy and you needed that face. Yeah. I had a

lot of a lot of the writers. There are seven riders on that record, and most of them were like, what are you really trying to say? Because I would find myself going back to you, that guy, you know, trying to sugarcoat things. But that made you say the truth. Yeah, yeah, so get off my cord. It was journey On an important album for you. It was it was the beginning of me musically. I think I had some great records

and you heard some of my soul and those records. Um, but journey On was the real window that you were starting to see inside of that tiny person that was becoming a grown up man. Yeah, so I love it. It's crazy. And then this is the new albums, all grown up time. And so then on November two, after you made the big statement, you came out, You freed yourself. You said I'm gonna be authentically who I am. And then and I wasn't only coming out for myself during

that time. I had fallen in love with a with a great guy. Do you think falling in love with someone that you truly wanted to be with made you want to come out more? Um, it actually made me hesitate for a minute, because I wasn't just coming out for me. I was we were both coming out because they were really his family knew, but not a lot

of their family knew, you know, the big secret. And the support was just overwhelming from from from everyone you know, and quite honest, because we are friends and we're talking honest. It wasn't all roses. You know, there was a lot of hate out there and people they are and and and I understand that. So but my friend Shelley Right also told me she goes for at least a year. Don't be reading all that stuff, you know, because you you want to get your dukes up, and you can't

fight hate with hate. You fight hate with love. And so I'm still here. It is almost two years later. I'm nine months. I'm still going through some of those and it's very interesting what people wrote in the moment that they've taken back when you because you know, seventeen mouths later, you get an answer for me, Well, thank you for your comment, and I understand where you're coming from. And I would really appreciate, um um your love and support in the future if you can. So you write

people back. Absolutely, yes, absolutely, what a bigger person. Well, let me tell you that some of them I did start f oh no love l Well, like I said, I'm still disabled rid that al was, But you're intentional. I'm intentional, and um I have people around me that are intentional and that are lovely and awesome, and um, I don't really allow much. And it's not that as you should, yeah, and you can see it coming and

you protect yourself, all right, you do. So tell me about House on Fire, the creation of that album and why you're so excited about it. Um. It started for me House on Fire. The first time we wrote was the thirty eight Song Festival in Panama City, Florida. Well in that area, a huge festival. There'll be my third year doing doing it. But um, in the car ride down with Eric how Big and Drew Davis and so you guys, come on, let's go down and do this thing. And we just the the idea of this album said,

I don't want to want to do next. You know, for me it was I want to go out and try to get a new recording situation. Um, but I don't know what that looks like. So, you know, Eric's awesome when let's just start writing some song the band to Davis such a hippie, let's just hey man, let's just start writing some songs. So the first song we wrote for this albums a song called All Night Tonight. We wrote it on the thirty sixth floor of Mary

Francis Rudy's beach Condo's important. Yeah, and uh, that started the ball rolling and we came back and just would shed and we had written seven songs in a month, and we started recording and we were happy with that, but I wasn't. I wasn't as happy as there's got to be more. So, Um, I cut back on the writing a little bit because I'm not a selfish writer.

There's a lot of great songs out there, but you knew what you wanted to say, yes, and so we went through Eric's catalog and Drew's catalog and found some really hadn't go any further than that that's awesome, yes, And we started kind of tailor making, so a couple of songs I became a writer on because you made them for me. Yes, And of course that's we wanted to make sure that was okay with the writers. But I changed a lot of the stuff in the song. Um,

and then the rest we're just um um. Andy Bosco wrote a great song called Fighter Yeah, and it's closes out the album. So it starts out rocking fund and it gets to the meat and potatoes, then it gets to the spiritual stuff in the end, change the world stuff. Do you have any favorites or songs that like, really really this is the first album that I've ever done that I will go back. And I'm not a big guy like, oh I love myself. I'm gonna hear my so saying, but I go back to this album because

of the songs. I'm a runner, a run and um, it's very unusual that I would put myself on the iPod. I love the music that much. It. Yeah, and you said you didn't know what kind of record label situation. You've gotten a great situation step for yourself. Tell me about that. Well, it's interesting, I am. But you know, we shopped. This is another story that people need to know that didn't come easy as well. We finished this record, we all thought it was was pretty good, and we

shopped it for a good four months. But industry was so amazing. Everyone took the meetings, everyone loved the music. But I did kind of have the pink elephant in the room a lot of times. Yeah, it's like, you know, what are we gonna do with this guy? You know? And so, um what it actually happened and I actually ended up back in the Sony family with this, I know, with this Sony Red distribution deal. Um, that is just

it's a big old full circle right there. But the first thing I said to Dwayne at the label, who had worked at Dwayne Brown, who had worked at the label for since I was there, he'll he'll, He'll tell you this. The first thing I said was, listen, man, just listen to the record. Can we please not bring the pink elephant in the room. He goes, He's dead, And that's great because you just want to make it about the music. Absolutely. Yeah, So it was about the music.

And I'm super excited because this will be the biggest album launched for me. Um. Everything has been independent since journey On, so this will be, um um the little album that could. Yeah that your story makes my heart sing because the fact that you have just stayed through all of it, You never quit, you always kept fight. You're the fighter. Like that sounds important to me for yourself. Why do you hear that song? You'll recognize something about it.

But like, how proud are you of the man you are? I'm proud of I'm proud of where I'm at today. Um, I know there's a lot of work ahead work. Yeah. So Matthew and I are great, My family is great, and we'll um just looking forward to uh to tour. Dates. You know, it's kind of funny. We'll talk about this briefly. It's been crazy because we would go into shows and I'd be so grateful if there'd be a hundred people there. I'm like, you guys will love you so much, the

hundred people. And as this is all progressed, I've seen that grow and grow and grow. Cool is that? Um? So I'm really looking forward to, uh to going out there on this next year and seeing some big crowds and letting them hear my story. Do you know where you're going to kick off your tour? I don't. Okay, so TVD, when is touring going to start? Well, you never stopped touring in country music. You know that you're

married to It's an awesome musician seven you did it yourself. Yeah, yeah, So, but an official tour we're working on announcing because we we want to do that and so I'm with Buddy the Attraction and there's a lot of great artists on Yeah, this is exciting. So we'll see what happens. And the album launches November eleven, Lucky number eleven eleven eleven? Is that also was an accident? I hope? So do you feel like, this is what do you feel about all this? Well?

Number one important thing is that I'm not afraid to feel. So I feel a lot of things. You know. I feel happy, I joy, I feel terrified, just whatever the day is, you know about Oh, I gotta really put myself out there, you know, but um, something always happens in the day that lets me know that I'm on the right path. Do you have do you look for? Science? Gotta expect this in depth interview that we're just gonna

be silly. But I've enjoyed this, really, I have you have? Yeah, I've enjoyed this because, um, I know that I'm getting to speak true to a friend and and that's going out of our hearts to you guys. And it doesn't get any better than that. Well, you know the point of my podcast is to interview people who has hat who have had a beautiful life journey in the music industry on some sort, but to showcase the highs lows

and inspiration because I it's very important to me. I feel like my calling on life is to showcase people who are great and to show that like everyone has struggles, but you have to persevere about and you have to pursue your calling, because that's why we're put on this earth from God. Life in full bloom people, that's what we're talking. That's the only reason we're here there, that's the only reason where I'm bloom. I'm a bloom and idiot. But days two you are a beautiful Thank you very much.

I love it. Okay, So we're gonna wrap up. I don't want to wrap up because I want to talk to you forever. Where do you see your life in the next ten years and your vision board and your dreams? What do you want the next ten years to look like? Well, I think I'll still be making records. It will be interesting to see as this progress is what what the next album, the next album looks like in touring and doing all this stuff. But you know, I just have

normal dreams. I want to get married. I want to have a family, you know, And a lot of my musician friends are my age and are just starting families. And so I love that we're in a place today that that I'm not afraid to dream that. So that's just the future for me and I just have a very strong feeling that's that's exactly what you will be talking about a year from now, and then you know, probably two years from now. So get married, have family,

keep tour and make great music. Absolutely, that's it living the dream. Okay. So I like to wrap up with leave your Light, so out of everything you've experienced your whole life journey, leave inspiration that you how you feel inspired and how you want to inspire people. Oh wow, oh my gosh, through music, through my spirituality, through my gift. What's your message? My message is that you can go out there and be exactly who you want to be

in this life. You just have to work hard for it and but yourself, be authentic and find some way, somehow to find your spiritual path. So it's very important. I love that. Yeah, Ty Herndon, House on Fire November eleven, coming at you in a moment we would die for see you, guys, cal I hope you loved hearing from Ty Herndon. Y'all go pick up his album House on Fire next week. Is so exciting. I have the Loving Mary Baby in. This is a band composed of superstars.

Rebecca Lynn Howard had the huge hit for Give. She's a two time Grammy winner. There is Marty Frederickson. He's produced everyone from Aerosmith to Gavin Rossdell to Carrie under A, Debuck Cherry to Doctor to Ozzy Osbourne to name a few. Oh, Faith Hill too. And then there are two couples in the band. Rebecca Lynn Howard and her husband Alicia are in the band, and we also wrote the song Lipstick together for Runaway June with Runaway June. And then you guys,

there's another couple in the band, Susie and Andrew. So it's like Fleetwood Mac back in the day. How fun is that? And y'all they talked about everything. They just released an album, A Little Bit of Love. It is so incredible. Oh, I forgot to mention. They are Steven Tyler's band. They tour with Steven Tyler and they played for Steven Tyler, so it's pretty much as cool as you can get. These guys are literally rock and roll. They're straight out of a rock and roll movie. They're

so cool to the core. Y'all will not want to miss it next week with Loving Mary Band see all then make sure you subscribe have on iTunes. Bike