Granger Kelly Smith (born September 4, 1979), also known by his alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer-songwriter and radio host. He has released eleven studio albums, one live album, and two EPs. He scored his first number one hit in 2016 with "

Backroad Song "Backroad Song" is a song recorded by American country music artist Granger Smith. It was initially released to radio independently on March 24, 2015, but was officially re-released to radio on October 5, 2015 via Wheelhouse Records. It is includ ...

" and a second top ten hit with " If the Boot Fits" in 2017.

Early life

Smith was born in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. At 14, he became interested in music and decided to pursue it as a hobby, teaching himself guitar. After graduating from

Lake Highlands High School Lake Highlands High School (LHHS) is a secondary school serving grades 9-12 in the Lake Highlands area of northeastern Dallas, Texas, United States, primarily serving the Lake Highlands community. The school is part of the Richardson Independent Sc ...

in 1998, Smith attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East-Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin. ...

, and was a member of the Corps of Cadets. After his sophomore year, he moved from Texas to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

after signing a songwriting contract with EMI Music Publishing. Later, in 2005, he returned to Texas and re-enrolled at Texas A&M to complete his degree. He continued to play live and record music, including “We Bleed Maroon,” an homage to his alma mater and fellow Aggies.

Musical career

Granger Smith was signed to a contract at the age of nineteen in Nashville. He has performed three times at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

, and in 2008 he traveled to perform for soldiers in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

. His 2013 album ''

Dirt Road Driveway '' Dirt Road Driveway ''is the seventh studio album from American country music artist Granger Smith. Released on 16 April 2013, the work was published via Pioneer Music, with distribution from Thirty Tigers. Content Five singles were released f ...

'' peaked at number 15 on US country charts and number 11 on US indie charts. On August 12, 2015, Smith announced he had signed with

Broken Bow Records BBR Music Group (formerly Broken Bow Records) is an American record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in July 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music. The label's executive vice president is Jon Loba. Craig Morgan ...

imprint Wheelhouse Records. Smith's EP ''

4x4 Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

'' was co-produced by Smith and Frank Rogers. The album debuted on the Top Country Albums chart at number 6, and reached number 51 on ''Billboard'' 200. The lead single from the album was "Backroad Song", which sold over 32,000 downloads in its first week of release. Some of Smith's recordings make use of an assistant named Earl Dibbles Jr. Said assistant is definitely not Smith's alter ego. In December 2018, Smith released a single from his soundtrack album called ''They Were There, A Hero's Documentary'', which came out on November 30, 2018. "They Were There" and its music video came out on the same day, December 7, 2018. On July 19, 2019, Smith performed for an audience of 86,000 as the opening act for the Garth Brooks Stadium Tour at the Albertsons Stadium in Boise. On January 1, 2022, Smith took over ''After MidNite'',

Premiere Networks Premiere Networks (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a wholly owned subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. It ...

' long-running overnight

country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The ...

show. The show had previously been hosted by

Blair Garner Blair Garner is an American radio personality best known for his work in country radio. Garner spent over two decades as a nationally syndicated overnight disc jockey, first hosting ''After Midnite'' for Premiere Networks and then ''The Blair Gar ...

, then Cody Alan. Later that year, he joined Canadian country music group

High Valley High Valley is a Canadian country music band from Blumenort, Alberta, a small community near the hamlet of La Crete. The group is composed of Brad Rempel (lead vocals) and his supporting band, Dave Myers (bass guitar), Sam Bergeson (vocals), Raym ...

on their 2022 single "

Country Music, Girls and Trucks "Country Music, Girls and Trucks" is a song by Canadian country group High Valley and American country singer Granger Smith. The song was written by the group's frontman Brad Rempel along with Jaron Boyer and Micah Wilshire, while Wilshire produc ...

". In November 2022, Smith released his eleventh studio album "Moonrise". The album was featured in the Pure Flix movie titled the same name, released on December 15, 2022.

Personal life

He married Amber Emily Bartlett on February 11, 2010. They met on the set of the music video for Smith's song "Don't Listen to the Radio", and she has been featured in several of his music videos since. The couple has one daughter and three sons. On June 6, 2019, Smith announced that the couple's youngest son, River Kelly Smith, had died following a drowning accident at their home. River had previously appeared in the video for "Happens Like That". On March 11, 2021, Granger Smith and his wife Amber, announced they were having their fourth child, a baby boy in August. Their son, Maverick Beckham Smith was born August 20, 2021.

Discography

* * ''Waiting on Forever'' (1999) * ''Memory Rd.'' (2004) * ''Pockets of Pesos'' (2005) * ''Livin’ Like a Lonestar'' (2007) * ''Don't Listen to the Radio'' (2009) * ''Poets & Prisoners'' (2011) * ''

'' (2013) * ''

Remington Remington may refer to: Organizations * Remington Arms, American firearms manufacturer * Remington Rand, American computer manufacturer * Remington Products, American manufacturer of shavers and haircare products * Remington College, American c ...

'' (2016) * ''

When the Good Guys Win ''When the Good Guys Win'' is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Granger Smith, released on October 27, 2017. The album includes the singles " Happens Like That" and "You're in It". Reception ''When the Good Guys Win'' debute ...

'' (2017) * '' Country Things'' (2020) * ''

Moonrise Moonrise and moonset are times when the upper limb of the Moon appears above the horizon and disappears below it, respectively. The exact times depend on the lunar phase and declination, as well as the observer's location. As viewed from outside ...

'' (2022)

Filmography

Books

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Granger 1979 births American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters American radio hosts Country musicians from Texas Living people Texas A&M University alumni Musicians from Dallas 21st-century American musicians BBR Music Group artists Thirty Tigers artists Singer-songwriters from Texas 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers