Ty Herndon

Country Confidential chats with FUNL Recording Artist

Ty Herndon

(With contributions by Bob Doerschuk, 2011 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.)

As charming and laid-back as he is handsome, one who doesn't know the story might never suspect that Ty Herndon has battled demons many of us hope to never confront. Yet Ty did confront them, and it seems his road to recovery has brought personal healing and spiritual rewards - not just for him, but for those he has encountered along the way as well.

Ty attained an impressive string of hits starting back in 1995 when his debut single, "What Mattered Most," shot to number one. Since then he's had seventeen singles that have landed him on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, a number of industry awards, and more than four million albums sold. He also recently signed a new recording deal with FUNL Music, releasing to radio "Journey On," the title single from his latest album.

In 2010 he won a Dove award for Best Bluegrass Recording for "When We Fly", though he tells Country Confidential he hadn't intended to write a Christian record. It was inspired by his grandmother having always encouraged him to do a gospel recording, and he simply felt it was time. The writing developed out of Ty's personal experiences - things he says he's found himself on the other side of.

When Rebecca suggested that things always seem to turn out better when they're done from the heart, Ty agreed, adding that's the trouble he's having with his new music. He wants to keep writing music that matters, music that helps people, but on the other hand he also feels a need to "lighten up" a bit and have a little more fun.

Country Confidential's Rebecca Black chats with Ty Herndon

Ty Herndon's passion and commitment to music is not surprising. Raised in Butler, Alabama, Ty has been a professional entertainer since his teenage years. At seventeen he performed at OPRYLAND USA as a cast member of "Today's Country Roads." He went on to compete in the first season of "Star Search" and was a winner in the male-vocalist category.

As a live performer, Ty Herndon gained popularity while playing the honky tonks in Texas, and in 1993 he was named Texas Entertainer of the Year. That honor led to interest from Music Row and a record deal with Epic Records. Herndon made his chart debt in 1995 with "What Mattered Most," which became his first #1 song and garnered a Song of the Year award (Music Row Magazine). It was also the title track to his debut album, which debuted at #15 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and had the biggest first-week shipment in the history of Epic Records Nashville.

Not long after his win as Best New Artist at the Country Radio Music Awards, Ty felt the weight and pressures of success. In 1995, he faced a very public battle with addiction and entered rehabilitation.

Still, he didn't let go of his music, topping the charts in 1996 with the single "Living in a Moment" and again in 1998 with "It Must Be Love," Between 1995 and 2002, Herndon charted 17 singles including his three number 1's and numerous top 10 hits such as "I Want My Goodbye Back," "Loved Too Much," "A Man Holding On (To a Woman Letting Go)," and "Hands of a Working Man."

As part of his personal healing process, Ty began reaching out to others in need, donating his time and talents to organizations such as Make A Wish, St. Jude, and Feed the Children.

Most recently he found a very personal reason to get involved with a cause he believes in - the fight against ALS. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis and death within four to six years.

After performing at an ALS benefit in Alabama, Ty was introduced to former NFL fullback Kevin Turner. The onetime New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles star was diagnosed with ALS in May of 2010. The meeting sparked an idea.

"Kevin had this light in his eyes," Ty recalled. "It was obvious that he had a higher purpose. The challenge had been put into his life for a reason, and I just knew it. I'd gone through my own challenges in life, and you take a platform not because you want to but because it's there and you need to do it."

That spark led to Ty's "Journey On" video, which features Kevin Turner talking about ALS.

"I've been in recovery for some time now," Ty confesses, "That song was written from that place. And to see it jump over not only to Kevin but to so many people who can put their challenges and their victorious outcomes in this little song has blown me away beyond belief. There was a time I felt so alone in my own struggles. But to find out that I wasn't alone at all, to know that Kevin feels that, that's the payoff right there, to know that this guy is kicking it out there, fighting for his life. He's not alone."

Former University of Alabama Head Coach Gene Stallings, FUNL Music artist Amber Hayes, Kevin Turner and Ty Herndon pose at The Kevin Turner Foundation ALS fundraiser in Brentwood, Tenn. Photo courtesy of AristoMedia.

Ty Herndon's journey doesn't end there, however. Journey On is being heralded as the most personal project of Herndon's career, due in large part to the fact that the CD represents his first foray into songwriting. "The people who believed in me and my talent made me even more serious about writing this album," Herndon says, "There was so much I wanted to say to fit where I find myself spiritually and emotionally, and I wanted to sing about that."

The songs on this project reflect the personal challenges and struggles Herndon has faced and conquered, as well as bring the listener the promise of hope and new beginnings.

Ty tells Country Confidential he's always toyed with the idea of writing a book as well, and there may even be one in the works as early as 2012. When Rebecca asked what it would be about, Ty replied, "It's about my story. Life experience, getting through things. I'm a big Oprah fan, and her whole thing about being at a place in your life where you've been through some things and you share how you got to the other side of that with hope, love and encouragement. So it'll be a lot about that."

Country Confidential's Rebecca Black snuggles up to Ty Herndon in Nashville, Tennessee