John Michael Montgomery Plans Album, Book Projects with His Brother, Eddie
He has seven number one country singles and a pair of quadruple-platinum albums to his credit, but for John Michael Montgomery, his next album might be his most meaningful.
Montgomery is planning a musical collaboration — with a book to follow — with his big brother and fellow country singer Eddie Montgomery, best known as one half of the bestselling duo Montgomery Gentry.
As John Michael told Billboard in a recent interview, “We’ve been wanting to do something together for quite a while, but we’ve never really gotten together and done actual songs of our own together. So it’s going to be interesting to go in and find what we can come out with.”
Reflecting on the hit-filled early years of their careers, he continued, “Before, we were on different major labels, different booking agencies … Now all the red tape has disappeared, and the politics, too. I think it could turn out to be a pretty good album.”
In addition to the album, which has no set timeline for completion, the brothers are collaborating with journalist Alanna Nash on a book about their history, starting with “being raised in Kentucky with a musical family and moving a bunch from house to house … and having a good time doing it.
“The next thing you know,” continued Montgomery, “I ended up getting a record deal and having some hits, and so did [Eddie]. It’s rare enough that one person gets an opportunity like that; it’s even more rare that two people have something like that happen, and I think even rarer that two brothers actually have success like me and him have. We have a lot of really good stories, I can tell you that.”