Ty Herndon

Ty Herndon reached the summit of Billboard’s Country chart in 1995 with his first single, the uplifting ballad “What Mattered Most.” For several years afterward he remained a fixture inside the Country Top Ten. His heartfelt singing fit the streamlined country style he favored, a sound that respected classic roots while echoing the sweeping, rock-infused arena-country Garth Brooks had introduced at the start of the 1990s. Momentum faded once “Hands of a Working Man” stopped at number five in 1999, and an extended stretch of career turbulence followed that lasted more than a decade. He began regaining stability in 2010 by issuing the Dove-nominated gospel set Journey On. A few years later he secured his place in history as the first male country performer to announce he was gay. After the 2014 revelation, Herndon lent support to LGBTQ causes, among them a partnership with GLAAD for the annual Concert for Love And Acceptance, while continuing to record, including a new version of “What Mattered Most” whose pronouns were altered to match his orientation.

Born in Meridian, Mississippi, on May 2, 1962, and raised in Butler, Alabama, Herndon took up music early, studying piano and performing gospel in church. After finishing high school he moved to Nashville intent on entering the country industry. He worked steadily in Music City until landing a spot as lead singer with the Tennessee River Boys, a band assembled in 1982 to promote the Opryland USA theme park. Roughly a year later he departed to appear on the televised talent contest Star Search; once he left, the group evolved into Diamond Rio.

Star Search did not deliver national success. Afterward he relocated to Texas and spent years performing in local honky-tonks, where he built a loyal audience. In 1993 the Texas Entertainer of the Year award helped secure a deal with Epic Records.

His debut Epic single, “What Mattered Most,” became an immediate hit in early 1995 and reached number one on the Billboard Country chart by spring. The self-titled album followed, climbing to number nine on Billboard’s Country Albums chart. Later that summer “I Want My Goodbye Back” rose to number seven, while the duet “Heart Half Empty” with Stephanie Bentley reached 21 in early 1996. On June 13, 1995, Herndon was arrested at Gateway Park in Fort Worth, Texas, by an undercover officer who charged him with indecent exposure; police also found methamphetamine in his possession. He accepted a plea arrangement that required drug rehabilitation, after which the exposure charge was dismissed.

Despite the incident, he sustained his profile with the August 1996 release Living in a Moment. The album peaked at number six on Billboard’s Country Albums chart, led by its title track, which topped the Country singles chart. “She Wants to Be Wanted Again” stopped at 21, yet “Loved Too Much” advanced to number two later in 1997 and cleared the path for “I Have to Surrender” to reach 17. Big Hopes arrived in May 1998 and yielded three Top Ten singles—“A Man Holdin’ On (To a Woman Lettin’ Go)” and “Hands of a Working Man” both peaked at five, while “It Must Be Love” became his third and final number one—yet the album itself climbed no higher than 22, hinting that his commercial peak was passing. Steam appeared in November 1999 and produced modest hits: the title track reached 18 and “No Mercy” reached 26.

Personal difficulties stemming from struggles with drugs and alcohol hampered Herndon’s progress during the early 2000s. “Heather’s Wall,” the opening single from a planned fifth Epic album, peaked at 37 and prompted the label to cancel the project. After the 2002 compilation This Is Ty Herndon: Greatest Hits, which added the new track “A Few Short Years,” Epic and the singer parted company. He issued the holiday album A Not So Silent Night on Riviera Records in 2003, then waited until 2007 for another collection of original material. Right About Now, released on Titan/Fontana, reached number 41 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart. A second seasonal project, A Ty Herndon Christmas, followed in October 2007. In 2010 he signed with the indie label FUNL Music and delivered the gospel album Journey On that June. He remained with FUNL for the 2013 release Lies I Told Myself.

Herndon publicly identified as gay in a November 2014 People magazine interview, an admission that cast earlier personal challenges in a new light. He soon teamed with GLAAD on multiple LGBTQ initiatives, including the annual Concert for Love and Acceptance, and created the Ty Herndon Rising Stars Grant to provide financial support for young people advancing inclusion in music. House on Fire appeared in 2016.

Got It Covered, a 2019 set of reinterpretations, also contained a fresh recording of “What Mattered Most” whose pronouns were revised to reflect his sexuality. The updated single surfaced during Pride Month in June 2019, with the full album arriving in August.