Granger Smith’s Work ‘Takes Him Away From Home,’ But He’s Always Been a Family Man
On Thursday, June 6, country star Granger Smith shared the tragic news that his youngest son, River Kelly, had passed away following a horrible accident. But who is the singer? Despite the fact that he is often traveling for concerts and tours as he has become more well-known in recent years, the musician is a family man through and through. Keep scrolling to learn more about Granger Smith and his family.
He’s married to actress Amber Bartlett.
Granger, 39, married his wife, Amber Bartlett, on February 11, 2010. The two stars met on the set of his music video for his 2009 song “Don’t Listen To The Radio.” In the video, they played a couple in the midst of a breakup as Amber packed her bags and left while Granger relived the good times they’d had together. In July 2018, the singer posted a #TBT to the music video on his Instagram, reminding fans how their love story started. Amber is also featured in his most recent music video for his new song “Damn Straight,” where you can spot her with dark hair instead of her usual blonde.
He’s got three kids: one daughter and two sons.
The couple share daughter London, who was born in October 2011, Lincoln Monarch, who was born in January 2014, and River Kelly, who was born in May 2016. Sadly, River died at only three years old following a tragic accident. Though both parents shared emotional tributes to their youngest, the family had many happy times together before the heartbreaking loss. London made her first appearance on her dad’s Instagram account when she was nine-months-old in July 2012, though the star maintained his family’s privacy for a while.
By the time London was a toddler, however, she started to be featured more frequently — and soon his page became as much about his family as it did about his music. On Mother’s Day 2019, the singer paid tribute to his wife for being such an incredible mom to their three little ones. “This sums it up,” he wrote with a picture of his fam. “Me chillin’. And then her with three monkeys climbing all over her. She does it day in and day out with that love for them that only a mother can understand, but she also does it out of a love for me because she knows that so many times my work takes me away from home. How can I ever repay her for that?! I have a lifetime to try. She’s the half that makes me whole.”
Granger and his family live in Texas.
Originally from Dallas, Texas, the musician went to college at Texas A&M University not far outside of Austin. After graduating, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to focus on his music career, where he lived for five years. Now, he’s returned to his home in Texas, often sharing photos of his home and his family as they live in and explore the state. In the “Damn Straight” music video, you can check out Granger, Texas in the background, the town where they filmed that’s not far from “the Yee Yee Farm,” which Granger calls his headquarters.
His alter ego is Earl Dibbles Jr.
Granger Smith is a country singer. His alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., is an even country-er singer. As Earl, the musician has released tunes like “The Country Boy Song” and “Country Boy Love.” Granger and his alter ego have even “collaborated” on songs like “City Boy Stuck.” The redneck singer even has his own Instagram page where he shares country boy memes and funny tweets. For Halloween 2018, Granger and Amber filmed a mock-horror short where Earl was “haunting” them, and it’s straight-up hilarious. That’s not his only alter ego, though. You might also recognize him as Donny Cowboy, the name under which he released his May 2019 song, “Parked Out by the Lake,” or Dwayne the Roadie — or a whole bunch more. You can check them all out on the singer’s Instagram.
He’s released nine studio albums.
The singer started releasing music independently, under his own label, back in 1999 when he was just 19. His first album was called Waiting on Forever. In 2013, he dropped his seventh album, Dirt Road Driveway. It was his first with Pioneer Music and distributed by Thirty Tigers. He joined Wheelhouse Records not long after, releasing an EP called 4×4 with them in 2015 and his eighth and ninth albums, Remington and When the Good Guys Win, in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
In 2016, Granger won the BMI Country Award for his hit “Backroad Song,” and in 2017, he was nominated as the best new country artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. You may also know some of his other more popular songs: “Happens Like That,” “If the Boot Fits” and “Don’t Tread on Me.”
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