John Michael Montgomery

ohn Michael Montgomery is an award-winning country singer. He has attained 1 Gold Album and 2 Platinum Albums, along with top 10 hit songs on the country music charts. He was born on January 20, 1965 at Ephraim-McDowell Hospital in Danville, Kentucky to Harold and Carol “Snookie” Montgomery.


Childhood

In Life’s a Dance: The Story of John Michael Montgomery, Paul Prather describes John Michael’s childhood as a difficult start in life (9-27). His parents were poor. They had to move “27 times in 20 years, often because they could not pay the rent” (Prather 19). When John Michael was two years old, he had an accident that caused him to bite the end of his tongue off. He needed medical attention but the hospital would not treat him because his parents had no insurance and could not afford to pay for the treatment. John Michael’s grandfather helped out. After sewing John Michael’s tongue back on, doctors said they did not know if he would ever be able to talk clearly. At age 4 his speech became clear (Prather 9-10). Beginning in the fifth grade, John Michael was made fun of because of his clothes. He went from being an “A” student to failing the sixth grade due to the humiliation (Prather 21).


Musical Background

John Michael comes from a home filled with music. In an interview with Steve Dougherty for People (May 15, 1995 issue), John Michael says “I can’t remember a day there wasn’t a guitar or drums being played at my house” (Current Biography 2000). His parents were musicians at night, aside from their day jobs as meat cutters. They had a band called “Harold Montgomery and the Kentucky River Express.” At age 15 John Michael joined the family band as a rhythm guitarist and contributed to the singing (Prather 23; Current Biography 2000). Eddie, his brother, was also in the band (Prather 23). Later John Michael and Eddie formed their own band, “Early Tymz” (Prather 29). Eventually John Michael went solo, and Eddie joined with Troy Gentry to form the country duo, Montgomery Gentry.




Other Talents

According to his eighth grade teacher, Cindy Rogers, he is an artist. “He once drew a train on its tracks, as if it were rolling toward the person viewing the drawing,” Ms. Rogers states. He also played center and forward on the school’s basketball team (Prather 21). Abilene Boots featured him in an advertising campaign in 1995. The advertising campaign featured magazine ads in various popular country magazines (Fairchild Publications, Inc 5).


Hit Albums and Songs

In 1992, he had his first hit album “Life’s a Dance”. The song of the same name hit number 3 on the country music charts, “shooting the album into gold status”. “I Love the Way You Love Me” became number 1 for three weeks in a row (Armoudian 20). “Beer and Bones” reached number 21 (Prather 94). His next album in 1994, “Kickin’ It Up”, arrived at number 1 on Billboard Magazine’s country album list and on Billboard 200 pop album list. It produced three number 1 hit singles: “Be My Baby Tonight”, “I Swear”, and “If You’ve Got Love”. “Rope the Moon” reached number 4. He also held a spot on CMT’s 1994 top 2 videos for “I Swear” (Morris 24). The “John Michael Montgomery” album hit number 1 on the country charts in 1995 (Prather 94). It also went quadruple platinum and produced 4 top-10 singles, including “Sold (The Grundy County Auction).” “What I Do Best” was a platinum album seller in 1996 (Current Biography 2000). In 1997, he was one of the most played artists of the year, according to Billboard. He was on the list of BMI’s Most Performed Songs of the Year” in 1998 for “Angel in My Eyes” and 1999 for “Cover You in Kisses” (Billboard 1998, 1999).


Awards

In 1994 he obtained the American Music Award “Best New Country Artist”; TNN Music City News Awards “Star of Tomorrow”; American Songwriter Magazine’s “Country Artist of the Year”; Billboard Magazine’s “Single of the Year” for “I Swear”; Radio and Records Magazine’s “Single of the Year” for “I Swear”; Academy of Country Music Awards “New Male Vocalist of the Year” and “Song of the Year” for “I Love the Way You Love Me”; CMA’s “Single of the Year” for “I Swear”; and CMA Horizon Award (Prather 94). In 1995 he was awarded a Grammy for “Best Country Song” for “I Swear” and Academy of Country Music Awards “Song of the Year” and “Single Record of the Year” for “I Swear” (Prather 94).


Current Affairs

John Michael took some time off in 1996, due to his 1995 surgery for a swollen gland in his throat. It had been causing vocal problems for a couple of years. His comeback album in 1998 was “Leave A Mark” (Price 1998). Since that, he has released five more albums. These days he is taking more time off to spend with his wife, daughter and son. He has limited his touring schedule to half of a year so he can spend time with his family and write songs. He considers himself just a regular guy. “You’ll see me at Kroger, Walmart, K-Mart, Target and Winn-Dixie” he conveys. On CountryStars.com, he is quoted as saying “There’s times I’ll go for days, and I’ll forget what I do for a living … I’ll just stop and go, wow—all of these things that I can do, and the things I have are because of everything that’s happened to me … So I wake up every day just humbled that I have life so good … I never forget where I came from, and what I have will never go unappreciated” (Current Biography 2000).

In February 2006, Montgomery made an inauspicious re-entry into the public consciousness after being arrested in his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky under suspicion of drunk driving. Montgomery was also reported to have weapons and an inappropriately contained prescription drug in his possession. Coincidentally, the singer is lending his name to an outdoor show, to be held in Bardstown, Kentucky, in April 2006. Planners expect the event to bring Kentuckians from as far as Somerset and Munfordville, with proceeds to benefit several charities, including Quails Unlimited.


Partial Discography

* Life's A Dance (1992)
* Kickin' It Up (1994)
* John Michael Montgomery (1995)
* What I Do Best (1996)
* Greatest Hits (1997)
* Leave A Mark (1998)
* Home To You (1999)
* Brand New Me (2000)
* Pictures (2002)
* Mr. Snowman (2003)
* Letters From Home (2004)