About Ty Herndon
Boyd Tyrone Herndon is an American country music singer and songwriter. His music career began in the 1980s as a member of the Tennessee River Boys, a predecessor to the country band Diamond Rio. Herndon quit the band early on and gained his first national exposure as a competitor on Star Search. He then played at various honky-tonks in Texas. After signing to Epic Records in 1993, Herndon made his debut in 1995 with his number-one single, "What Mattered Most". This was followed that same year by the release of his first album, also titled What Mattered Most.
Herndon released three more studio albums and a compilation for Epic: Living in a Moment , Big Hopes , Steam , and This Is Ty Herndon: Greatest Hits . He recorded a Christmas album in 2002 before a recording hiatus. He returned with his fifth studio album, Right About Now for the Titan Pyramid label; his sixth studio release, Journey On, followed in 2010. Herndon has charted a total of 17 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. This figure includes three number-ones: "What Mattered Most", "Living in a Moment" and "It Must Be Love". His singles "I Want My Goodbye Back", "Loved Too Much", "A Man Holdin' On ", and "Hands of a Working Man" all made top ten on the same chart.
Herndon gained further media attention in 2014 after he came out as gay, becoming the first mainstream male country music singer to do so. His personal life has been the subject of mainstream media for other reasons, including his struggles with drug addiction and mental health. His musical style is defined by his singing voice and an emphasis on ballads.
Boyd Tyrone Herndon was born on May 2, 1962, in Meridian, Mississippi, to Boyd and Renee Herndon. He was raised just across the state line in Butler, Alabama. His grandmother played guitar and hosted her own radio show in Butler. He became involved in music in his youth. Herndon's first performance on a stage came during this period, when he won $75 at a talent show in Toxey, Alabama.
Shortly after graduating from Austin High School in Decatur, Alabama, Herndon moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in country music. At this point he also attended Belmont University. Herndon's first major role came in 1983 when he became lead vocalist of the Tennessee River Boys, a group that performed at the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville. This band was originally intended to perform a one-time show to promote the park, but became one of several regular performers there. Herndon left the band after only a year to become a contestant on the television talent show Star Search. Following Herndon's departure, the Tennessee River Boys underwent a number of membership changes and became Diamond Rio. When his tenure on Star Search proved commercially unsuccessful, Herndon attempted to secure a recording contract in Nashville. He told The Tennessean in 1995 that multiple labels rejected him as they considered him a "pretty boy". Despite this, he found work singing jingles for Pepsi and Dodge, as well as demo tracks for other artists. He lost a significant amount of money due to an unfavorable management deal, which led to his mother having to sell her house in order to refinance the amount of money lost. In addition, Herndon's father died of a brain hemorrhage, putting further strain on both him and his family.
Herndon then moved to Texas and found work performing in various honky-tonks across the state, in order to regain some of the money he had lost. His tenure in Texas included a stint with Louise Mandrell in 1987 at Billy Bob's Texas, a country music nightclub in Fort Worth. He competed on another television talent show titled You Write the Songs in 1987, but was unsuccessful. Herndon also appeared on The Porter Wagoner Show, a musical variety show hosted by country singer Porter Wagoner. By 1989 he had formed a backing band called Bayou. This act opened for Little Texas in 1989 prior to that band's signing with Warner Records. In 1993, Herndon won a local music award called Texas Entertainer of the Year. At the awards ceremony, Herndon was discovered by a representative of Epic Records, and he signed with the label later in the year.
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