Country singer Granger Smith has announced that he will be leaving country music to take on a new career path.
Smith’s new journey will focus on him becoming a minister at his local church outside of Austin, Texas. His upcoming Like a River tour, named for his 3-year-old son River who died after a tragic drowning accident in 2019, kicks off April 13 and will be his farewell to country music.
Smith announced the news on social media, saying that the message was difficult to post.
“The words for this caption are so hard to find. Not because I don’t believe in the truth of them, but because this marks the end of the longest era in my life! Touring…24 years of it,” he said during his statement.
Throughout his music career, Granger Smith went by the stage name ‘Earl Dibbles Jr.’ He has recorded eleven studio albums, one live album and two EPs.
See the touching announcement below:
Although he is taking a huge step back from the spotlight, Smith revealed in an interview that he is currently writing a memoir about his challenging journey of recovery following the loss of his young son. Smith’s book, titled “Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache,” is planned to be released on August 1st.
