White lightnin', bluegrass and red-hot country music. Kentucky can, once again, lay claim to all three with native sons Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry shuffling and stomping their way across the stages of America. The duo's high-spirited shows, unabashed patriotism and gritty lyrics have struck a chord with country audiences who, in today's musical climate, are too often left wondering, "Where's the beef?"

A recent veteran's day show found the twosome performing the title cut from their debut album, Tattos and Scars. It's a tough song but doesn't use the "hit-'em-over-the-head-with-a-hammer" approach to get its message across. The song is essentially a conversation between a life-hardened veteran and younger man with his own down-on-his-luck stories. One marks life's events with tattoos, the other counts his scars. The mostly acoustic number quieted a raucous crowd. The subsequent unfurling of a stark black-and-white POW-MIA banner brought many in the crowd to their feet and gave pause to those who had perhaps forgotten what it is America celebrates each November 11th.

Montgomery Gentry champions not only those who fight our wars, but those who till the soil. "Daddy Won't Sell the Farm" is their newly released single. Quirky lyrics such as this opening line, "His cows get loose and run right through the fast food parking lot..." intriguingly intertwine urban and rural imagery. On one level the song is a stinging indictment of city sprawl. On another level, it addresses one of the omnipresent complexities of modern life, the tug of war between old and new, and personalizes it in a farmer struggling to hold on to his land.

Both Montgomery and Gentry, as well as live audiences, feel a connectedness to the song. "That song goes over real well in shows," said Eddie Montgomery. We both just love it. I was born and raised on a farm and still live on one. My family and Troy's family - they're all farmers."

The video for" Daddy Won't Sell the Farm" has debuted on Great American Country's Fast Forward and CMT's Delivery Room. "Like 'Hillbilly Shoes,' we had a chaser (a video crew) follow us on the road and tape some of the shows," Montgomery said. "We love doing them (videos). We have a ball with anything we do."

"Daddy Won't Sell the Farm" follows on the heels of Montgomery Gentry's recent hit, "Lonely and Gone." "Lonely and Gone" is a great, country song, both lyrically and thematically, though its contemporary instrumentation and style may obscure that fact. Eddie Montgomery's gravelly, world-weary vocals drown the listener in emptiness and Gentry's insistent harmonies lend desperate urgency to any and all feelings evoked. Wordplay such as, "Could have heard a tear drop, could have heard a heart break," are timeless country songwriter devices. The metaphorical use of "lonely" and "gone" as intersecting streets is simply superb.

Montgomery and Gentry have been thrilled with the success of "Lonely and Gone" (it even outperformed "Hillbilly Shoes"). "We'll take a Top-5 hit anytime we can get it," Montgomery said. "The song has done really, really well for us. It's been on the charts a long time (over 25 weeks). Radio and all the fans have been great to us. We can't thank them enough. I think the best way we CAN thank them is to party and play some music with them."

This fall, Montgomery Gentry was nominated for the CMA's 1999 Vocal Duo of the Year Award, ultimately losing to perennial winner, Brooks & Dunn. "If they win it one more time, we're gonna tackle 'em and take it from 'em," quipped Eddie. "To be nominated with the crowd we were nominated with, was an honor. Brooks & Dunn are legends. They're great teachers. We're still new and there's a lot we can learn from them. We just sat back at the show and had a good time. Artists don't get a lot of time to hang with each other because we're all out traveling. That show was one of the few chances we've had to do that."

Montgomery Gentry has had a chance to expose their brand of music to large crowds in recent months by opening for established stars such as Brooks & Dunn, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Eddie's brother, John Michael Montgomery and southern rock's Lynyrd Skynyrd. "We played Sturgis (S.D.) with Skynyrd during bike week in August," Montgomery said. "We also got to do the Volunteer Jam with Charlie Daniels, which is unbelievable."

Life on the road continues to be fun despite the huge numbers of miles logged. "We've only been home about 30 days since the beginning of January," Montgomery said, "but we're still having a blast. "

"As soon as we're home for a couple of days our families are ready for us to leave again," Montgomery laughed. "They do come out and visit us on the road. They like to come to places like Las Vegas. If we're playing somewhere near a beach, we know the families will be out."

Montgomery and Gentry are both avid bikers and were recently featured in Easyrider Magazine. "We love to ride our scooters," Montgomery said. "I wish we had them on the road with us right now. We bought a new trailer for them but we've got equipment in it."

Okay, Eddie, 2Steppin has to ask one last question. "How are you and computers getting along these days? Any progress?"

"I am computer stupid. My wife won't even let me near the computers. I've already almost burned one up just by turning it on," Montgomery laughed. "There's now a big, big, bar around it. I know how to sing, I think," he continued. "But, that's about as far as it goes."

Eye of newt, and toe of frog. Wool of bat and tongue of dog. No, making good music isn't quite as easy as thowing a bunch of "stuff" together in a boiling cauldron. But, as Eddie implied, it's not rocket science either. All it takes is heart - something Montgomery and Gentry have in large supply.

Earlier Interview with Montgomery Gentry
Fan Club Party - International Country Music Fan Fair, Nashville

Mountain West Music 2002