Nashville’s Worse kept Secret Singer Ty Hendon is Gay: Well, Ty just Came Out
It's been one of Nashville's worst-kept secrets for years, but Ty Herndon has always thought making his sexuality public would equate to career suicide.
Rolling Stones
"I've dreamed about being in country music since I was six years old," the singer tells Entertainment Tonight. "It's my life, it’s what I do, it's who I am, and I went to great lengths to cover up [being gay] to be a country star."
Those lengths included getting married twice, to "some really amazing young ladies," Herndon says, claiming both ex-wives knew he was gay. "I had a lot of people around me that I trusted... and I was like, 'Hey, you know this about me but the world doesn't. So I'm gonna need to call on your services for a little while.'"
The 52-year-old singer knew as a child he was gay. He came out to close family members when he was in his twenties but never felt comfortable going public until now. Herndon tells People magazine that an Anthony Robbins seminar sparked the courage to come out, as he realized sharing his story might help frightened gay youth.
"I was 10, sitting in church and horrified that I might be a homosexual. Whatever that word meant, I knew that I probably was one," the singer recalls. "And I know there's a lot of those kids still out there. Telling my story is an opportunity to help just one of them."
Herndon's country music story was ignited by his very first single, "What Mattered Most," which went to Number One on the country charts, breaking a record for the most radio adds by a debut single in its first week and clinching impressive sales for his 1995 debut album of the same name. Hits that followed included "Living in a Moment," "A Man Holding On (To a Woman Letting Go)," "It Must Be Love" and "Hands of a Working Man," among several others But after a three-album hot streak, his fourth album tanked and — coupled with his second divorce, bankruptcy and two lawsuits — brought his personal life down with it. Herndon's drug and alcohol abuse spun out of control, and he finally checked himself into rehab in 2004 — his second attempt at sobriety.
The gay rumors followed Herndon in both good times and bad, as did drug and alcohol problems. He was at the height of his career when he was arrested in a Fort Worth, Texas, park for speed possession and for exposing himself to an undercover police officer. (The latter charge was eventually dropped.) He checked into a drug rehab center the very next day. At the time, the singer claimed he was just urinating in the park, but now he says he was on so many drugs that he doesn't remember his intentions.
Over the past, sober decade, Herndon has continued to release music, including two holiday LPs and a Grammy-nominated contemporary Christian album. His latest release is 2013's Lies I Told Myself, the title track of which now takes on a whole new meaning. It was his first country album in seven years and will reportedly be followed by another new LP next year.
Herndon's full interview with Entertainment Tonight, during which he proudly proclaims to be "an out, proud and happy gay man" — and also discusses his partner of six years — airs tonight (November 20th).
Rolling Stones
Background
Official Site: http://www.tyherndon.com | @tyherndoncom
Like many new country singers of the mid-'90s, Ty Herndon fused neo-traditionalist country with a slick, rock-oriented sense of style and production. Like many of his contemporaries, his blend of genres proved commercially successful, as his first album became one of the biggest hits of 1995. Herndon was a little wilder, at least off the stage, than many of his peers, but his records had a down-to-earth sense of sentimentality that initially gave him a broad fan base.
Born in Meridian, MS and raised in Butler, AL, Herndon became involved in music as he was growing up. He sang gospel music and learned how to play piano. After he graduated from high school, he moved to Nashville. Initially, he had difficult time gaining a foothold in the music industry, spending ten years without making any real headway. Herndon left the Music City and headed to Texas, where he began slogging it out in local honky tonks, developing a dedicated following of fans. In 1993, he won the Texas Entertainer of the Year. Later that year, he signed to Epic Records.
Herndon's first single, "What Mattered Most," hit number one in the spring of 1995. An album of the same name was released in April and became a Top Ten country hit. The second single, "I Want My Goodbye Back," became a number seven hit. Seemingly, the world was in his hands, but his first year of stardom was a difficult one, as he was arrested for drug possession on June 13, 1995, in Fort Worth, TX. Nevertheless, the arrest didn't halt his career. The third single, "Heart Half Empty," was a hit, and Herndon's second album, Living in a Moment, debuted at number six upon its summer 1996 release. Big Hopes followed two years later, and in 1999 Herndon resurfaced with Steam. This Is Ty Herndon: Greatest Hits arrived in 2002, followed by a collection of Christmas songs (Not So Silent Night) in 2004 and a new album (Right About Now) in 2006. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi.
Like many new country singers of the mid-'90s, Ty Herndon fused neo-traditionalist country with a slick, rock-oriented sense of style and production. Like many of his contemporaries, his blend of genres proved commercially successful, as his first album became one of the biggest hits of 1995. Herndon was a little wilder, at least off the stage, than many of his peers, but his records had a down-to-earth sense of sentimentality that initially gave him a broad fan base.
Born in Meridian, MS and raised in Butler, AL, Herndon became involved in music as he was growing up. He sang gospel music and learned how to play piano. After he graduated from high school, he moved to Nashville. Initially, he had difficult time gaining a foothold in the music industry, spending ten years without making any real headway. Herndon left the Music City and headed to Texas, where he began slogging it out in local honky tonks, developing a dedicated following of fans. In 1993, he won the Texas Entertainer of the Year. Later that year, he signed to Epic Records.
Herndon's first single, "What Mattered Most," hit number one in the spring of 1995. An album of the same name was released in April and became a Top Ten country hit. The second single, "I Want My Goodbye Back," became a number seven hit. Seemingly, the world was in his hands, but his first year of stardom was a difficult one, as he was arrested for drug possession on June 13, 1995, in Fort Worth, TX. Nevertheless, the arrest didn't halt his career. The third single, "Heart Half Empty," was a hit, and Herndon's second album, Living in a Moment, debuted at number six upon its summer 1996 release. Big Hopes followed two years later, and in 1999 Herndon resurfaced with Steam. This Is Ty Herndon: Greatest Hits arrived in 2002, followed by a collection of Christmas songs (Not So Silent Night) in 2004 and a new album (Right About Now) in 2006. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi.
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