Ty Herndon’s life and musical journey has seen its ups and downs. In his darkest hour, Reba McEntire offered him life-altering advice that he still holds onto today.
Ty Herndon’s life and musical journey has seen its ups and downs. His initial musical success came during the 1990s, but his life took a turn in the early 2000s when he entered rehabilitation for a drug and alcohol addiction. He returned to music in the late 2000s, however, releasing his album, Right About Now, in 2007.
“I felt like a stranger to a business that I absolutely know everything about,” Herndon tells Taste of Country Nights’ Evan Paul of his return. “I moved out to Los Angeles . . . and it’s like, you blink your eyes and six years have gone by. I haven’t made any music. I’ve been having way too much fun.”
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When he returned to making music, Reba McEntire shared some important advice with him about restarting his career that he still holds onto today.
“I remember something that Reba told me a long time ago,” he continues. “‘If we’re in this business, we’re going to have to reinvent ourselves all the time,’ she goes. ‘But the foundation of you and your eyeballs and who you are will stay in your music.’ She said, ‘Reinvention is kind of listening to who the cool new songwriters are, who the cool new producers are, who’s an excellent drummer that played on somebody’s record ten years ago but is kind of having a comeback. You find people that are really in it to win it.”
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These days, Herndon is reinventing himself yet again. He released his latest album, Jacob, on July 15, which comes after another low point in his life. In 2020, Herndon’s crystal meth addiction took hold again, and he nearly died. At his lowest point, he was sitting in his apartment with 27 Ambien tablets in his hand, ready to end his life, he told People.
Herndon shared more about his addiction journey and his new album with Taste of Country earlier this month.
“I thought to myself, ‘I’m not going to get out of this alive.’ And a calmness came over me, man,” he said. “It was the most peaceful thing. I made a decision that I was gonna leave this earth. You know, I did it. I’m leaving a legacy of music. I’m leaving some pretty good things behind. My family is peaceful. My nephew is grown. It’s a good time to go. People are going to remember you in a good place.”
