Montgomery Gentry

In a country scene full of slick-sounding pretty boys, Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry come off more like a couple of rough customers who just might jack your ride outside the roadhouse. Their hard-chargin' sound's at its in-your-face best on "Hell Yeah," in which they name-check Haggard and Springsteen with a stomp-and-twang to match. Kenny Chesney recorded "Some People Change" before Montgomery Gentry, but it took a good Kentucky-fried kickin' to make its message of hope a hit. And when it comes to arena-sized heartland anthems, "My Town's" country pride takes John Mellencamp to school. In Next Steps, we'll uncover the country and rock influences that fuel the duo's fire.

Kentucky boys Montgomery Gentry grew up on the sounds of Southern rock, outlaw country, and heavy metal in equal measure, and you can hear it all in their country-rocking hits. Troy and Eddie pay direct homage to their '80s hard-rock roots with a faithful take on Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive." The echo of Lynyrd Skynyrd's bluesy twin-guitar riffs is easy to hear on the rebel yell of "Carrying On." And the duo honors its debt to one of country's original renegades with their rough-and-tumble cover of outlaw king Waylon Jennings' bad-ass battle cry "(I'm a) Ramblin' Man."

The multi-platinum hit machine of Montgomery Gentry roared into view at the end of the '90s, making the boot-scootin' sounds of Brooks & Dunn seem like just a polite prologue. Their rough-edged style is a study in contrasts: Eddie Montgomery's deep, Marlboros-and-Jack growl and Troy Gentry's soaring croon; saloon-centric country pickin' and stadium-rock riff attacks; unabashed "redneck" pride and thoughtful messages of tolerance and understanding. This is where you'll hear it all come together on some of the biggest country hits of the early '00s. These guys are no weekend warriors — two dyed-in-the-wool Southern rockers who have collaborated with Hank Williams, Jr. and covered the Allman Brothers Band, Montgomery Gentry are in it for the long haul, so hop aboard right here for a wild ride through some hard-country roads.