Granger Smith Is Quitting Country Music to Pursue Ministry
Country artist Granger Smith and his alter ego Earl Dibbles Jr. will be calling it quits after an upcoming summer tour so that Smith can pursue a life in ministry. Smith made the announcement in a video to his fans published on Tuesday (4-11) afternoon (see below).
“This summer is my last ever tour. I have felt a strong desire to pursue ministry. This doesn’t mean I’m going to start a church or a crusade or a revival. This means me and my family are going to serve our local church,” Smith said in the video. “And then one day Lord willing they can affirm me into the next steps of what that might look like to glorify God best from my platform. I’ve also been attending seminary, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and that just takes a ton of time to pursue.”
The 43-year-old has spent the better part of 24 years in the music business. He dropped out of Texas A&M University when he was 19 to move to Nashville and signed his first recording contract, but Smith would later return to Texas A&M and complete his degree, while continuing to perform within the Texas/Red Dirt scene, releasing seven independent albums from 1999 to 2011.
In 2012 Smith launched his alter Ego Earl Dibbles Jr. with the viral song and video “Country Boy Song.” It was eventually Certified Gold, and established Granger as a force in the music business. Though some thought the song was parody of the emerging Bro-Country craze in country, Granger went on to in some respects join the craze when he signed with Broken Bow Records in 2015 and released the #1 single “Backroad Song.”
Smith also had success with the singles “If The Boot Fits” in 2016 and “Happens Like That” in 2017, but struggled as time went on to continue the success. Much of Smith’s career seemed to be spent in conflict with wanting to express himself, and wanting to be successful in the music business.
Everything became much more complicated when his 3-year-old son River Kelly Smith died in a drowning accident at his home in June of 2019. This caused Granger to reassess his priorities in life. In the video announcing his musical retirement, Smith also announced he will be releasing a book on August 1st called Like a River about the loss of his son. “It’s the most important piece of media that I could ever release” Smith says.
In the video, Granger Smith talks about how he could not resolve seeking adulation as a performer and giving himself to service to God, specifically citing the death of Jesus on the cross.
“That form of self-denial is just something I’m not doing in country music,” Granger says. “When I get up on a stage, and just need glorification and need praise, and if I don’t get it that means my career is not doing well, and so I work harder for that. I can’t reconcile those two things y’all, I can’t. I can’t go to seminary and pursue ministry and be poured in by my pastors and elders, and then go out on the weekends and try to be exalting myself. I think that’s a contradiction. This is not anything against anyone else who can do music and succeed in denying themselves. I’m not very good at it.”
Granger’s final tour will start April 13th, and go to August 25th and 26th when he’ll play two final shows at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth.
April 11, 2023 @ 6:14 pm
God Bless this next phase in his life.
Wishing the best for he & his family.
April 11, 2023 @ 6:17 pm
Good for him.
April 11, 2023 @ 6:26 pm
His reasons seem legit.
April 11, 2023 @ 7:00 pm
I liked his early music the best and then when the Country Boy Song came out, that was my friends and I go to song when we were in college. A whole group of us went and saw Granger at the local club back in 2013 when we were at school. So his music will have special memories of those days. Wish him the very best in his endeavor and may God bless him.
April 11, 2023 @ 7:17 pm
Regardless how you view religion, this is a pretty admirable move. Wish him the best.
April 12, 2023 @ 6:30 am
“Trust not the man who proclaim loudly his love of the lord” Matthew 6:7
April 12, 2023 @ 9:37 am
He’s NOT doing that. He’s letting the world know he’s done with his current job and why. He’s specifically NOT setting himself up as some kind of leader right off the bat. It’s a pretty darn humble statement. He’s not going on and on and on and on about it.
April 12, 2023 @ 3:15 pm
Midwits using Biblical scripture out of context, in an attempt to slander Christians, is a cliche at this point.
In this instance, the midwit uses a verse where Jesus was criticizing the Jewish Pharisees for their use of vain, repetitive prayers (they thought God was impressed with the quantity of words spoken, as opposed to the sincerity of the prayer), and attempts to apply it to a man who made a video directed toward his fans (not a prayer), humbly letting them know why he was retiring from music.
What’s really funny about it, is they all use the same verses, and apply them out of context in the exact same way,…almost as if there is a midwit hivemind.
These people hate your values, but they LOVE trying to use them against you.
April 11, 2023 @ 7:22 pm
I’ve casually followed his YouTube channel for years, and this is no surprise. He’s been legitimately searching, seeking, finding God and discerning all the big questions in life. And he’s done this with a vulnerability and legitimacy that is not easy to find on social media.
April 11, 2023 @ 7:53 pm
He released his fair share of mainstream dreck, but he also has some really excellent music (especially Poets and Prisoners and Dirt Road Driveway) and some of the best parody songs around. Check out Country Boy Love Song or ‘Merica if you need a laugh.
Wish him luck going forward!
April 11, 2023 @ 8:34 pm
Best to him. Though I don’t really know what he means that people who do music deny themselves. To be honest, he can probably do the most good for his ministry by using the talent God gave him.
April 12, 2023 @ 6:25 am
It sounds like he was writing music purely for fame, but maybe I misunderstood that. That statement would make sense to me though if that’s the case. Makes sense he would turn to the church. He sounds like a wounded and confused person (I am sorry about him losing a child). I went to a couple church services with a friend of mine over the last year and see that church has turned into a giant self-help group, no different then group therapy. It’s a lot different then when I went to church as a kid.
April 11, 2023 @ 9:48 pm
He also parodied Parked Out By The Lake as Donny Cowboy. Check it out.
April 12, 2023 @ 5:39 am
I was an early fan of Granger’s. I din’t mind when some of his songs started to go a little more mainstream, and the Earl Dibbles thing was funny initially. But when he went full bro he fell off my listening rotation. Regardless of his music choices, he has always seemed like a stand up guy who has been active in church and charity. Good luck Granger, and good luck out on your last tour.
Yee Yee
April 12, 2023 @ 6:28 am
So was Country Boy Song supposed to be a parody? It certainly sound like one, but I was reading through the youtube comments, and it seems like 99% treat the song as a real song showing a lifestyle they live or want to emulate.
April 12, 2023 @ 7:34 am
A lot of us (including myself) believed it was supposed to be a parody at first. As time went on, that seemed less likely. Though obviously, it was done “in character,” for whatever that is worth.
April 12, 2023 @ 6:50 am
Religion is such a dumb and silly thing to devote your life to. It is a scam. Always sad to see someone fall for this nonsense. Makes as much sense as giving up your career to devote your life to studying unicorns. But then at least unicorns don’t hurt people, steal from their followers, and start wars.
April 12, 2023 @ 7:16 am
Wow. Sounds like you have not been to the right places! That makes me really sad.
April 12, 2023 @ 3:12 pm
The most important thing to note, is that JF was defending pederasty on the CMT article. That fact alone is very important when trying to understand his worldview.
Secondarily to that, why can’t “I’m Above Religion” guy figure out the fact that EVERYONE devotes their life to a religion, including him? Everybody has a god, even if their God is themself.
April 12, 2023 @ 5:26 pm
Wow, edgy comment.
An atheist, vegan, and a crossfitter walk into a bar. How do I know? Because they told everyone in two minutes.
Your last sentence better describes the modern government and atheistic regimes like the Soviet Union and Communist China who have killed over 100 millions.
The amount of likes is depressing but it shows how narrow-minded and indoctrinated people are by modern education and society.
April 12, 2023 @ 7:15 am
Good for him. Can’t be mad about people chasing what they’re most passionate about. Wish him nothing but the best.
April 12, 2023 @ 7:28 am
In 2017, I saw Smith (and Dibbles) at a Country 99.5 promotional event in a suburban Kmart store. The Kmart closed, and became a Covid vaccine administration building which has since closed. The radio station changed its call letters and no longer plays country. Smith’s upcoming ministry will be the only extant and successful part of that day.
April 12, 2023 @ 7:31 am
Country 95.5, not 99.5
April 12, 2023 @ 7:46 am
Good for him. If this is what he needs to do to keep his clear and pointed in a more positive direction I’m glad to see he’s willing to make the sacrifice. I hope it works out for him. it’s also no unheard of for people to leave the ministry after a time. it’s not like he can’t go back to making music as some point.
April 12, 2023 @ 7:56 am
“He shouldn’t be implicated in church sex abuse scandals any more than Drag Queens should be implicated in all child grooming cases.”
if this was an article about him becoming a drag queen we know exactly how this would be playing out. and yet, there are far more documented cases of a religious person being involved in child sex crimes than any drag queen.
and sorry trig, when the alt religious right is shoving their beliefs into laws that effect every aspect of our lives, religion is political. there is no separation of church and state other than they don’t pay their fair share.
April 12, 2023 @ 1:55 pm
I did a search or “drag” on the page, and the word appears three times–all in your post.
Sounds like you’re having a debate with yourself.
April 12, 2023 @ 2:01 pm
to be fair, trig deleted some previous comments in this thread. but look no further than an article posted on the previous day featuring some truly lovely reactionary, and not backed up, hateful hot takes – https://savingcountrymusic.com/the-cmt-awards-were-not-the-cma-awards-or-indicative-of-country/
i have said nothing untrue that cannot be backed up by data. pointing out the hypocrisy of the religious right in the forum.
April 12, 2023 @ 2:57 pm
OK, I’m out of the loop on all that.
I’m not the person here with the desire or the qualifications to be arguing on behalf of the religious right. There are some regulars here who will probably be happy to engage you on that.
April 12, 2023 @ 3:03 pm
Spoken like a true leftwing nutsack. ????
April 12, 2023 @ 3:10 pm
feel free to refute with any data.
April 12, 2023 @ 4:28 pm
Jimmy,
This Communist is using a logical fallacy on you called the Burden of Proof Fallacy. Don’t let him.
I’m not saying he doesn’t have data, but the burden of proof for his claim lies on him, not you.
Also, it’s extremely important to understand that any data he provides is only for legal cases; it won’t include the dozens of TikTok videos of groomer clowns we’ve all seen over the past 8 months. It also won’t account for the fact that Communists effectively change the definition of child sexual abuse, when it’s committed by their malcontents.
April 12, 2023 @ 4:19 pm
Christians: “All child sexual abuse is evil.”
The Communist: “But what about the priests?!”
Christians: “All child sexual abuse is evil.”
The Communist: “Priests do it more than drag queens!”
Christians: “All child sexual abuse is evil.”
The Communist: “F**k off bigot!”
April 12, 2023 @ 3:17 pm
It’s wild how these communists think they can just say something as crazy as: “there are far more documented cases of a religious person being involved in child sex crimes than any drag queen.”, and that people will simply accept the premise as true, and go on the defense on the basis of it being true, as if there isn’t video after video after video after video of “drag queens” shaking their butts and fake tits in children’s faces.
Also, it’s important to acknowledge that Communists never say pederasty or pedophilia is bad or immoral; they only play the “But What About the Priests” game. They play this game, because they know full well that Christians acknowledge the gross immorality of child sexual abuse, and are easily taken off topic to defend their values.
All this being said, if we’re strictly talking about legal cases of child sexual abuse, if there truly are more legal cases of priests than there are rainbow demons(I don’t know the data), it’s because when Christians find out this is happening, they’re quick to report it, whereas the Communists celebrate it, or hide it, depending on audience and purpose.
April 12, 2023 @ 4:47 pm
bummer. should maybe look into the issue huh. as if everyone doesn’t know.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/churches-defend-loophole-clergy-not-report-child-sex-abuse
April 12, 2023 @ 5:28 pm
Teachers commit it at the highest rate. But Drag Queens also commit it at a high rate per percentage.
“But what about the priests” is such a tired cliche.
April 12, 2023 @ 8:02 am
I agree that its good to see him following his other passions. Curious if he will move to creating Christian music where he can blend his passions, also where the pressures of sucess would be eased. From what I have read, the music business is a really really tough life, and although it has its perks, your family suffers with the quailty time away. God bless you Granger!
April 12, 2023 @ 8:19 am
The negative comments here, thankfully minimal, shows the deplorable condition of humanity.
Some think there has to be a negative comment on every article Trigger posts. I have posted my share, but how a post of this nature can bring out even one negative comment is beyond my Gentile mind.
I respect him for this decision. Best wishes to him and his family.
April 12, 2023 @ 1:34 pm
I can’t imagine what he and his family have gone through since his son’s death. I’ve never been a fan of his, but I know an event like that changes people. Perhaps the grieving process made him find his true calling. I have to respect the man. I wish him well.
April 12, 2023 @ 4:53 pm
He seems kind enough. I can’t really support his choice because Christianity is a deceptive and a destructive force, but I wish him well.
April 12, 2023 @ 5:29 pm
Ditch your Stalinist textbooks.
April 12, 2023 @ 5:33 pm
Comments closed to numerous individuals irresponsibly posting about off-topic subjects. The more this happens, the more comments sections will be closed.
August 27, 2023 @ 9:44 am
Whatever he can do to be happy. So sad for country music tho I saw him with Blake in Indio and he was amazing. Songs about what America was and should be, maybe Earl Dibbles Jr will keep singing?? God bless and good luck