Ty Herndon Looks Back At 30 Years of Country Music Stardom

In the world of country music, Ty Herndon needs no introduction. With so many charting radio singles – including several that snagged the #1 slot – he’s no slouch in the ‘hit song’ department. What’s more, in 2014, the Grammy-nominated performer also made waves for change as the first major male country artist to come out in public as gay.

This year, Herndon will release a recording commemorating 30 years of his career milestones, setbacks, triumphs, and growth. This fall, he’ll give fans the first half of a two-volume retrospective album; it marks the anniversary of when he initially broke through on the country scene with his first #1 hit, “What Mattered Most.”

The first volume of the album – titled “THIRTY” – will drop during October. Volume 2 follows in 2026. “THIRTY” includes “reinterpreted hits” and “all-star collaborations.” The first single, already released, is a new version of “What Mattered Most,” featuring a duet with country superstar LeAnn Rimes.

“We took a look at my back catalog and found what I like to call the ‘hits’ and the ‘misses,’” Herndon explained to The Bluegrass Standard. “Of course, we’re including the chart toppers like ‘What Mattered Most’ and ‘Living In A Moment,’ but we’re also digging deeper into album cuts to pull out some things that I think could have been big hits.”

“You know,” he continued, “back in the ‘90s, if you got two or three singles off an album, you were doing good. Then the label was ready for us to release that next album. In that process, so many good songs were left on the table, so I’ve gone back and given some of those a facelift, too.”

“The one common denominator is that every song on the new album features another artist, so I’m getting to work with some amazing legends as well as some newcomers that I just love,” he added.

A case can be made that Rimes – an international multi-platinum selling singer and songwriter, and veritable country powerhouse – is headed for that “legends” category.

“I have known LeAnn since she was seven years old,” Herndon explained, “and when ‘What Mattered Most’ came out, she was on tour with me as my opener. It wasn’t long, though, before a little song called ‘Blue’ broke through, and she was suddenly a superstar.”

Herndon said doing this duet with her was an obvious, quite natural move; she used to join him onstage to sing it with him way back when, on that first tour they did together.

“We’ve been good friends for a long time, and I’m so proud of all her success and the incredible woman she has become,” Herndon added.

When asked whether he feels he has grown creatively over the years, his desire for challenge makes it clear why he’s been able to keep stepping into the spotlight repeatedly despite his career waxing and waning over time.

“Reba [McEntire] once told me if you’re not growing and changing, you’re not doing it right,” Herndon reminisced. “So, I’ve always tried to challenge myself and level things up each and every time.”

One example he mentioned is his evolution into songwriting.

“The labels never let us write our own songs back in the day, so in these recent years, I’m proud that I’ve been a part of the writing process on my new work, like my last album ‘JACOB,’ where I co-wrote just about every track on that album. “

“Overall, I just think my songs are more personal these days,” he added. “They’re about my life, but they’re also about the common things we all experience – love, loss, heartbreak, confusion, fear and ultimately gratitude."

One way Herndon showed some of that gratitude over the past decade was to encourage industry professionals and fans alike to be more amenable to differences among people within the country genre. To that aim, he launched the Concert for Love and Acceptance, which just wrapped its tenth and final year.

“When I came out [in 2014] only one person had done it before, and that was my good friend Chely Wright. What a pioneer she was and is,” Herndon said. “I felt like I suddenly had a platform to help make the path a little easier for others, so I joined forces with my friends at GLAAD, and we just hosted the 10th anniversary show here in Nashville. There are still so many challenges for LGBTQ people in country music and everywhere else, but I think it’s gotten a lot better in these last ten years, and I hope we’ve been a small part of that.”

As for the year of looking back, Herndon had a message for his fans.

“I just appreciate all those fans who have stuck with me over these last 30 years,” he said. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs, but the one thing that remains is the music. Good music is good music, and I just hope I’ll be around to keep making it for another 30.”