Chris Stapleton Tributes Troy Gentry With ‘Hillbilly Shoes’ [Watch]
Chris Stapleton paid tribute to Montgomery Gentry singer Troy Gentry with a fiery rendition of the Montgomery Gentry classic "Hillbilly Shoes."
Gentry died on Sept. 8 in a helicopter crash prior to a Montgomery Gentry gig in New Jersey, and tributes to Gentry have come pouring in from friends and colleagues in the days since. Stapleton offered up his musical nod at a concert in Cincinnati, Ohio, that very night, leading into "Hillbilly Shoes" with a long guitar intro and then delivering it with his signature scorching rasp, doing Gentry's country-rock legacy proud. He segues directly into his own hit, "Nobody to Blame."
"Hillbilly Shoes" introduced Montgomery Gentry to the world when it was released as the lead single from their debut album Tattoos & Scars in 1999. The song reached No. 13 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.
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Other musical tributes have included Jason Aldean, Jake Owen and Old Dominion. Old D singer Matthew Ramsey choked up when the crowd began singing along with him when the group performed "My Town" the night Gentry died.
Gentry was killed when the helicopter he was riding in crashed after experiencing problems during a short flight for him to check out the terrain prior to his performance. 911 audio indicated that the vehicle was experiencing mechanical difficulty before the crash. A preliminary report the National Transportation Safety Board released states the pilot radioed about problems with the throttle before crashing. A full investigation is underway.
Gentry was remembered in a public celebration of life ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Thursday (Sept. 14).
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