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Granger Smith Concert Setlists & Tour Dates

Granger smith at billy bob's, fort worth, tx, usa.

• You're In It
• City Boy Stuck
• Buy a Boy a Baseball
• I Kill Spiders
• Hate You Like I Love You
• If the Boot Fits
• Silverado Bench Seat
• Country Boy Love
• Gimme Something
• When the Good Guys Win
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Granger Smith at Warehouse 25 Sixty-Five, Grand Junction, CO, USA

Granger smith at isleta casino showroom, albuquerque, nm, usa.

• You're in It
• I'm Wearing Black
• Bury Me in Blue Jeans
• Backroad Song

Granger Smith at Marquee Theatre, Tempe, AZ, USA

Granger smith at waterside district, norfolk, va, usa, granger smith at clearfield county fair 2023, granger smith at irving plaza, new york, ny, usa.

• Country Boy Song (Earl Dibbles Jr.)
• Free Fallin'

Granger Smith at Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

• Miles and Mud Tires

Granger Smith at Marion Cultural and Civic Center, Marion, IL, USA

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Most played songs

• The Country Boy Song ( 36 )
• If the Boot Fits ( 35 )
• Happens Like That ( 32 )
• Silverado Bench Seat ( 32 )
• Backroad Song ( 31 )

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Granger Smith feat. Earl Dibbles, Jr.

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85 people have seen Granger Smith live.

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Granger Smith  

• On tour: no
• Upcoming 2024 concerts: none

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Live reviews

I first saw Granger Smith perform at an open air gig and this was probably the best way I can imagine to see him live! It was a clear evening and the fresh air only enhanced the atmosphere as everyone swayed listening to him sing about dirt roads, mud tires and love. I’m not usually a fan of country music but his live show was so exciting – flashing lights built the suspense before he powered onto the stage, he had a brilliant band backing him up, and you could tell how much he was enjoying himself up on stage which made the energy in the crowd all the more electrifying!

Granger Smith is a country music singer and songwriter from Texas and he has now released seven studio albums so there is plenty of material to listen to! His first album, Waiting on Forever, was released in 1998 and his most recent one, Dirt Road Driveway, in 2013 so you can really hear this artist’s progression across time! One of my favourite songs by him is ‘Easy’ from his 2013 album as it’s a little bit different from his usual tone of music; slightly slower-paced with very emotional lyrics.

Granger Smith is currently on tour in the US until December so make sure you go and see him for some quintessentially brilliant country music! I’m sure, if you’re not already, you’ll be a fan in no time!

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Granger Smith I am sad to say I lost out on your performance in Binghamton N.Y due to a family crisis and couldn't even resell my tickets and I only live 45 minutes from there on my Holler. YEE YEE

BUT since I have this opportunity to say I have the Upmost Respect for you as an Artist and Family Man, I totally enjoy your family videos as well I did see you in Syracuse N.Y. you are Totally AWESOME My Biggest Dream is to meet you personally if you ever come back to Upstate N.Y. I am 60 yrs young and not in the Best condition so if Make a wish worked with the elderly as well You and Your Family would be My Wish Come True. Please give Amber and the Children my love as well YEE YEE

Always a #1 Fan

P.S. would YEE YEE Apperal consider getting larger sizes for Us potato fed fans Love your line but all to small thank you

Granger Smith I am sad to say I lost out on your performance in Binghamton N.Y and I only live 45 minutes from there on my Holler. YEE YEE

If you like city things like Prius' skinny jeans, Starbucks then you'll probably leave sad because you're cars stuck. But if you like dips,crack in cold ones, country girls with them tan legs your going to be happier willie with the best weed money can buy. But on a serious note the best concert you'll ever see. The whole band is awesome and just a bad ass. Seriously go see them. Then go swap dips with your girlfriend.

Outstanding show! When Granger sang heaven bound balloons, showing his strength and pain, that was such a touching, beautiful moment that I will remember forever. Also his inspirational moment about why he loves dirt roads, how life is a dirt road, it was so powerful. Thank you Granger for using your platform to inspire those who look up to you!

Was a GREAT show!! Loved the interaction with the audience. Kept the place rockin! Great to see entertainers who take the time to go out into the audience and show their appreciation.

The concert was amazing I had a great time it was a late night with my best friend but iso worth it Granger Smith should come back to Minnesota sometime I'd love to see him again

Granger smiths concert was awsome. I love the show he pu put on it was awsome and he even sighed the back of my phone case. I love you granger smith

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Find out more about Granger Smith tour dates & tickets 2024-2025

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• Dallas - Fort Worth (61)
• Houston (42)
• Austin (25)
• San Antonio (22)
• Des Moines (18)

Appears most with:

• Kane Brown (185)
• Earl Dibbles Jr. (178)
• Jimmie Allen (172)
• Lauren Alaina (168)
• James Lann (43)

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Country Things, Vol. 2

In September 2020, Granger Smith released Country Things, Vol. 1, the first half of a new album and the follow-up to Smith's hit 2017 album When the Good Guys Win. Appropriately, Vol. 2 picks up where its predecessor left off, mixing earnest ballads with party anthems and moments of self-aware levity. Opening track "Man Made" refracts masculinity through the lens of a mother's love, declaring, "If a man made anything, it's 'cause a woman made that man." "Where I Get It From" offers a glimpse into the upbringing of a "half sinner, half small-town saint" atop a foot-stomping groove. And Smith's redneck alter ego Earl Dibbles Jr. reprises his appearance from Vol. 1 (the winking, nursery-rhyme-inspired "Country & Ya Know It"), lending an assist on the set's two closing tracks, the weekend-ready anthem "Workaholic" and the riff-heavy ode to big engines "Diesel." Country Things doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does show Smith to be one of country's more versatile, surprising acts.

November 27, 2020 8 Songs, 25 minutes ℗ 2020 This Is Hit, Inc. d/b/a Wheelhouse Records

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Top 5 Granger Smith Songs

Granger Smith wears many hats as a father, clothing line visionary and the brains behind his comedic alter-ego, Earl Dibbles Jr.  Yet for many fans, he's the Texas-born country singer known equally as a love song-crooning Casanova and a carefree country boy.

The different facets of Smith's public image have taken shape over his 20-plus year stay in country music, dating back to when he inked his first publishing deal in his late teens. That long road took a clearer path when his seventh studio album, 2013's Dirt Road Driveway , kicked off an ongoing run of chart success.

Read on to hear The Boot's five favorite songs by Smith, a list that argues that one of his most recent songs trumps them all, including his first No. 1 single, 2015's "Backroad Song":

"Happens Like That"

Like many of his peers, Smith crosses country music storytelling with snap-along beats and anthemic riffs. That old-meets-new formula rarely sounds greater than it did on this Tyler Hubbard co-write from 2017.

In an even better example of Smith making country cliches his own, the nameless, tight britches-wearing “girl” from so many other songs isn’t met by a cowboy with the cool composure of a lounge singer. Instead, she’s got Smith stuttering through his usual down-home charm.

"The Country Boy Song"

This rocking cut brings a little levity to Smith’s catalog. He teams with his comedic alter-ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., to poke fun at himself, blending references to a country boy’s strong suits with stereotypes for an over-the-top celebration of manhood. It’s more Cledus T. Judd than Tim McGraw , which is an okay thing.

"Backroad Song"

Smith paints a detailed picture of the rural stretches of road leading from his Dallas, Texas, hometown to the next tour stop with a song that offers richer lyrics than the typical dirt road anthem. In line with country tradition, it takes an artist’s personal perspectives and experiences and makes them relatable to a broad audience.

“Heaven Bound Balloons”

Smith’s greatest song gets personal, telling a story about grieving lost loves ones through child-like faith. An objectively solid track is now a sentimental favorite for fans following the June 2019 death of the singer’s 3-year-old son, River , who drowned at the family's home.

What's Your Favorite Granger Smith Song?

Share your picks for Smith's best tracks in the comments section. Yee yee!

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Meet Granger

Granger smith is giving everything to god..

After 24 years touring as an award-winning, platinum-selling, country music singer-songwriter, Smith chose to leave the music business to pursue a future in ministry. The "Like A River" summer tour in 2023 will mark his last as he moves full throttle towards his faith. Honoring his late son, River, his first book  Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache , will be released on August 1, 2023 (W Publishing Group, and imprint of Thomas Nelson).

Compelled by the call to ministry, Smith intends to serve his local church under the teaching, council and leadership of his pastor and elders while he continues work on a Master's degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, along with public speaking and authorship.

Over the course of his groundbreaking music career, Granger amassed a massive and rabid audience known as Yee Yee Nation, built through heavy touring and grassroots fan engagement. He has released ten studio albums, one live album, and two EPs. Granger has charted over eight singles on the Billboard country charts, including the number one hit "Backroad Song." He is a highly sought-after speaker, actor, author, and host of the nationally syndicated iHeartRadio show After Midnite with Granger Smith. In 2017 he started the Granger Smith Podcast, where he discusses matters of faith, family, music, and the outdoors, while spreading messages of integrity, honor, truth, and restoration grounded in a Christian worldview.

Granger's social media following exceeds twelve million, with more than one billion online video views. Granger and his wife, Amber, live north of Austin, Texas, with their kids London, Lincoln, and Maverick.

Granger Smith didn’t have acting aspirations when his WME booking agent sent him a movie script. He had never acted before, but he felt a deep connection to the title character: a country singer with three kids who loses his wife in a tragic accident and the struggle to find redemption with his family and music.

“ I loved the script more than I loved the idea of me being an actor,” said Granger, who read the treatment in one sitting on his front porch. “But I wanted to do my best to bring this guy to life. I am a lot of that guy and I felt a little of my dad in him, too. In the story he is a man of not so many words, but when he said something it mattered. I know people like that and I knew this was something creatively I wanted to tackle. ”

Attracted to the character – an under-pressure single dad and rancher – Granger asked to hear the songs in the “Moonrise” script especially the moving movie closer “Forever Forward.” He was surprised to learn it didn’t exist.

“The director said, ‘There is no song yet, but we are going to find it.’ And I said, ‘Excuse me?’ She said, ‘Yeah, I have a title and the movie is based on it, but we haven’t found it yet,” Granger recalled. “What I was thinking to myself was what you are asking for is actually impossible, so I said, ‘Why don’t I try to write it.”

Clearly having a songwriting country artist on set had its advantages but it wasn’t something the movie executives considered when they were casting. “They thought it would be easier to get a country singer to act than it would be to get an actor to pretend to be a country singer because there were performances,” Granger chuckled.  

Driven by personal experience, familial inspiration and a commitment to anyone who overcomes life’s setbacks, Granger emersed himself in the character and started writing the music that would support the narrative and eventually become his next album  Moonrise , which will be released Nov. 18 by BBR Music Group.

He wrote “Forever Forward” on New Year’s Eve and had finished all 12 tracks by March 1, 2022.  He dipped into his catalog for nuggets that became fully conceptualized songs. Inspiration was everywhere.

“After I said yes and started diving into it, I had no idea I needed to actually become that character,” Granger offered. “I had to think like him. Not just read the script and memorize it but believe it. I had to feel it and say it in a way that sounded like it was created from my soul. That took an emotional toll on me and an effort than I couldn’t ever have imagined. There were days on set, I thought I  was  Will Brown.”

Granger has released 10 studio albums, one live record and two EPs, but this record is a departure from anything he has done before. Each cut is present in the movie, but the songs are solidly Granger Smith.

“ It’s scary because you think in your insecure brain, ‘Maybe I’m wrong about all of this,’” Granger said. “The one thing I do know is that when I started this project I thought, ‘I’m going to make songs for Will Brown.’ But as I was writing and recording and singing, I quickly realized you can’t do anything that doesn’t sound like Granger. I had to relent to that idea that I can’t make anything that doesn’t sound like me, but that’s OK. ”

Mining a character in a three-minute song was very different from staying in character for the duration of a film. “I can get through a song in three minutes and feel that emotion lyrically with a song, but in three minutes I’m on to the next one if I am playing a show,” he said. “And we take this roller coaster of happy, fun, sad, heartache, love and all back-to-back-to-back. But the movie was consistently one emotion.”

Granger first broke onto the national scene with  Remington , an album that scored his first No. 1

“Backroad Song.” He was awarded a BMI Country Award for writing, producing, publishing and performing the song. It was one of the Top 10 Most Played Country singles of 2016 according to Mediabase and certified Platinum by the RIAA. He followed with a Top 5 hit “If The Boot Fits.”

Granger said writing the music on his bus during the filming was easier than creating songs in a traditional Nashville writers’ room.

“ Between takes I’d have four or five hours on the bus, I had the guitar and I would think about the scene. I’m on set, dressed as the character and looking out the window at the guy’s house. It wasn’t that hard,” Granger explained. “Imagine if Nashville songwriters were transported to the scene of the song they were writing. It would be so much easier. ”

His current favorite track on the record is “Damn Guitar,” which had an inauspicious start.

“I had started that by myself a few years ago and it never had a home until I met this character,” offered Granger. “I thought, ‘This is  his  song’ and it is really great when that happens. The song was sitting there collecting dust and didn’t have a purpose and all along it was meant for him.”

Granger was eventually named musical supervisor for the film collaborating with Hollywood composer John Coda on the score.

A multidimensional communicator, Smith has his hands in numerous projects including hosting iHeartRadio’s  After Midnite,  his own podcast, and a popular weekly YouTube series with his family called “The Smiths.” He created the documentary “They Were There: A Hero’s Documentary” and wrote a No. 1 book, “If You’re City, If You’re Country.” In 2020, he received the CMT Award for Quarantine Video of the Year and has an outdoor lifestyle brand Yee Yee Apparel.

Granger, who has banked more than 1 billion on-demand streams with more than 12 million followers on social media, will have to wait for  Moonrise  to come out in November and for the movie to be released by PureFlix on Dec. 15 to see how his fans will respond.

“My biggest fans, the ones that have followed me for years and been to 100 shows, what will those people think of me as this guy in a cowboy hat, a rough Texas rancher?” Granger pondered. “Are they going to believe it or think I should never act again.”

He hopes what they experience with  Moonrise  and the movie is the power of music.

“ There is something a song can say that human words can’t in a conversation,” he said. “The mystery of that we will never know on this earth, why that truly is and why we have the gift of music. But as creators of music, we need to understand that it doesn’t come from us, we just pass it on and we have a big responsibility as musicians to channel it and realize how it effects people: it enhances their emotions, it makes them remember things they didn’t think they could remember and forget things they don’t want to think about. And we can do that three minutes at a time. ”

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• Granger Smith

Granger Smith Announces Summer Tour is His Last, Leaving Music to Pursue Ministry

by Alli Patton April 12, 2023, 9:22 am

Country artist Granger Smith has announced he’s trading in music for ministry and calling his upcoming tour his last.

Videos by American Songwriter

The “Backroad Song” star recently shared the news with fans in a video on social media in which he detailed his decision. “This message is so difficult to post,” he prefaced the news in the post’s accompanying caption. “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.”

In the video, Smith makes eye contact through the camera to state, “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 that me and my family are going to serve our local church. We’re going to pour into that church as members and have my pastors and elders pour into me and disciple me and teach me as I sit under their wise teaching. Then Lord willing, one day they can affirm me into the next steps of what that might look like to glorify God best from my platform.”

He also shared that he has been attending Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He said pursuing his master’s degree there has taken up much of his time, adding, “This is a time of learning and growing for me, and that may explain to some of you all why I’ve appeared maybe distant, especially to music lately.”

He also said has a book on the way that touches on living through the tragic loss of his 3-year-old son, River, in 2019. “That message is so important to tell,” the singer said of the book, titled Like a River . “It’s the most important piece of media that I could ever release, that I ever have released.”

He quotes the Bible’s Mark Chapter 8 and uses it as an example in his own life and for the decision he’s making now. “I can’t go to seminary and be poured in by my pastors and elders and then go out on the weekends and try to be exalting myself,” he explained. “I think that’s a contradiction … I want to be able to sacrifice.”

His Like a River Tour kicks off on Thursday (April 13) and will come to a close on Aug. 26. His book, Like a River , will be released along the way on Aug. 1.

“This tour’s not about me,” he exclusively told People ahead of his announcement. “This tour is going to be about the people that have supported me for so long. And, selfishly, I will enjoy it more if they’re enjoying it more. I think they’re going to enjoy it more if I just make it, ‘Hey, what’s an old song we haven’t done in a long time? Let’s play that. Let’s make sure that we get as many people on the stage as we can. Do you want to sing one of my songs? Has your dream always been to sing the chorus of my song? Come on up. Here’s a microphone. I’ve done it a thousand times, now you get to do it.'”

Watch his full message below.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Granger Smith (@grangersmith)

Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images

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Granger Smith Reveals He’s Leaving Country Music to Pursue a Career in Ministry

Smith says his upcoming tour will be his last.

By Jessica Nicholson

Jessica Nicholson

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In the caption for the video, Smith wrote, “I am so encouraged and hopeful and excited and joyful about the next chapter, but to a large extent, I have no idea what it will look like. I just want to glorify God the best way that I can.”

Smith earned a No. 1 hit on Billboard ‘s Country Airplay chart in 2016 with “Backroad Song” and a top 10 hit on the same chart in 2017 with “If the Boot Fits.” “Backroad Song” was also honored with a BMI Award in 2016.

On Aug. 1, Smith will release the book Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache , which offers a look into how Smith and his family relied on their faith as they navigated grief and healing after the death of his 3-year-old son River, who drowned in a swimming pool accident in 2019. Granger and his wife, Amber, are also parents to daughter London and sons Lincoln and Maverick.

Smith’s farewell Like a River Tour will launch April 13 in Wisconsin and will run through Aug. 26 in Texas.

Smith will continue to host Premiere’s  After MidNite   with Granger Smith , which he began hosting in January 2022.

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Granger Smith Reflects on Leaving Country Music, Hitting Rock Bottom After Death of Son River (Exclusive)

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The night he hit "rock bottom," Granger Smith surrendered to a higher power. 

In a new interview with ET's Rachel Smith, the country star, who announced in April that he's saying goodbye to the business to pursue ministry, shed light on his decision to step away from his longtime career four years after the  death of his 4-year-old son, River . 

In June 2019, he and wife Amber Bartlett shared the devastating news of their then-youngest son's death from drowning in their home pool. Smith turned to various items to cope with the tragic loss, including alcohol and weed. 

"I would wake up in the middle of the night many times and I would wake up and go, 'I lost my son,' and then I couldn’t go back to sleep. It was every night, so I would take weed in some form so that hopefully I would sleep all night and it worked," he recalled. "It felt good and so then, I thought, well, I might as well go and have in the morning, too, in case something happens at breakfast and then I might as well make sure around lunch time... And then I thought if I don’t have it I’m in trouble and the slideshow's gonna overtake me. And the slideshow was just random images of River, of losing him and whether he’s face down in the pool or I’m holding him or we're going to the hospital or the doctor saying, 'We're gonna lose him.'"

The singer's grief came to a nearly fatal end one night on his tour bus when he was drunk with a gun in his hand. 

"That night on Wildflower in that back bedroom -- that was just as rock bottom as it got to be honest," he said.

Described the singer, "There was one night in Boise, Idaho, where I just wanted to end it all, when the weed wasn’t working anymore and the alcohol couldn’t numb it and self-help certainly couldn’t help anymore cause it takes a level of strength to self-help. And when you don’t have any strength, what do you do? Maybe the only answer is to end it all because maybe that’s where the peace is. Maybe that’s when you can finally rest in that."

Fortunately, his two other children were his saving grace. "I had one thought and it was Lincoln and London, my two kids at home. That was the first thought that hit me," he said. "I thought I just saw their faces and then I said, 'Jesus, help me.'"

Noting he was not as knowledgeable of his religion at the time, Smith called out for his god. "I said, 'Jesus, save me,' and suddenly I felt life sort of stop for the first time. The slideshow stopped. I slid the gun out of my hand and it hit the bank and I fell down on the floor and I was crying and I was horrified at my shame and my guilt and the weakness I was and the lack of strength that I had and the weak man I that I was. It all hit me at once and that was the beginning."

Now, the country music star is preparing to devote himself to his faith full-time after his last show on Aug. 26. "Giving it up now is still a huge sacrifice for me," he said of music, "because I do love it and it is a passion that I've had for a long time, but I just feel like now I have a more important message to give and there’s not enough time to do music."

Instead of life on the road, he said, "This season of my life will be actually being with my family and going to our little local church and learning under our pastor and going to seminary and getting out and speaking occasionally and talking about this book and telling people about my darkest night and how I was saved from that, so that’s where I am right now."

Through that book,  Like a River , Smith hopes to encourage others suffering with loss to find the strength to move forward -- which helps him heal in return. 

"Again and again I felt a little healing in me if I was able to say 'Let's go, let's move forward. You can't be stuck anymore,'" he recalled. "'...This  is not helping your love for them by staying stuck in that grief, which is a thief and a liar to you.' Every time I did that, I healed a little bit more inside me and so that led to, well, let's write a book."

In addition to his new book and career change, he's also dad to a third son, Maverick, who was born in August 2021 . Named in honor of his late brother , Maverick is the "closest human being there ever was to River," Smith said. 

"He looks like him, he talks like him, he likes the same things. He has blonde hair instead of red. He is so similar and he looks at his picture and he stares at his picture and he says, 'River,'" the singer shared. "I'll never understand that kind of chemistry and how that works, but Maverick will continue to carry on that legacy."

Like a River  is out now. 

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to  suicidepreventionlifeline.org .

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Granger Smith Is Leaving Country Music to Focus on Ministry: 'A New Direction for My Life' (Exclusive)

On Tuesday, the country singer — whose 3-year-old son River died in a drowning accident in 2019 — announced that his Like a River tour kicking off April 13 will be his last

Granger Smith is ready to embark on a new chapter.

On Tuesday, the musician announced on his social media pages that he's leaving country music in order to focus on ministry at his local church outside of Austin, Texas. When 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, it will serve as his farewell.

Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively about the decision, Smith says that he's "excited" to pour himself into his church after the tour comes to an end on Aug. 26.

"Being a musician was never a prison, but this is a new passion, a new focus, a new direction that I believe is going to allow me to focus more on individual people and their lives, which is ultimately why I started music touring in the very beginning," he says. "This is an even more micro-focused position in that. I'm not going anywhere."

While preparing to make the announcement, Smith says he's been anticipating four different kinds of reactions to the news: "The first group will say, 'Oh, praise God, that's amazing. What an example.' The second group's going to say, 'Oh no, I'm going to miss your music. I'm going to miss your touring.' The third group is going to say, 'Oh, go follow your little sky God. You're probably just making money that we don't know about as a preacher.' Then the fourth group is going to go, 'Granger who? No one cares.'"

"That's why I just want to be as honest as I can," he explains.

Currently working towards a master's degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Smith makes clear he's "not Pastor Granger."

"I could deceive myself thinking, 'Oh, I got a calling from God to go off and start a church,'" he says. "That's like the equivalent of a young athlete in college going, 'I'm going to declare for the NFL draft.' You need to learn under the players and the coaches until it's time, and then they'll all affirm that it's time to go into the NFL."

RELATED VIDEO: Granger Smith Reveals Final Special Moment He Shared with Son River That Suddenly Turned to Tragedy

In tandem with the announcement, Smith also revealed on Tuesday that his upcoming memoir, Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache , will be released on Aug. 1. It'll follow his emotional journey through the ups and downs after River's death.

"I remember turning in the manuscript for the first time, and I called my wife Amber, and I said, 'Well, I'm about to send this manuscript out. There's no stopping it now.' Like, you can't put the toothpaste back into the tube," he recalls. "There's things in here that are extremely vulnerable. It's very personal. But the overwhelming feeling was that if my story could help others, then it's worth it, then it matters."

It was important to Smith that he bill his final music tour the same title as his book.

"I don't want the tour to end and then all of a sudden, 'Oh, now he's got a book,'" he says. "I just want it to be very cohesive to the sentimental side of what this journey has meant — not even river in terms of my son, River, but just the life river that we're traveling right now. I feel like these last few years I've really learned to surrender and just go with the flow and stop fighting against the stream that I did for so long in the music business and in life."

Smith says that "go with the flow" mentality will extend into his tour, which will very much be about the fans.

"This tour's not about me," he says. "This tour is going to be about the people that have supported me for so long. And, selfishly, I will enjoy it more if they're enjoying it more. I think they're going to enjoy it more if I just make it, 'Hey, what's an old song we haven't done in a long time? Let's play that. Let's make sure that we get as many people on the stage as we can. Do you want to sing one of my songs? Has your dream always been to sing the chorus of my song? Come on up. Here's a microphone. I've done it a thousand times, now you get to do it.'"

Though he struggled to do meet and greets in the time immediately after River's death, he's since found healing in talking with people about their own experiences with loss and grief.

"I walk away going, 'Wow, this loss is not for nothing, because it mattered today. It mattered to that person. I just talked to them, and they smiled because we had something in common and we embraced each other,'" he says. "Then I could go to sleep that night and go, 'OK, we're making progress. We're moving forward with something here.'"

He's also learned that "we have no way of seeing or understanding what light is until we know what dark is."

While Smith identified as a Christian prior to River's death, it wasn't until after that he started to develop a different connection with his religion.

"As I was reading the Bible, I was coming across things with a new heart and eyes opened," he says. "During my healing, I was reading things like Mark 8:36, where Jesus said, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, and the gospel, will save it.' Then he goes on to say, 'For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?'"

"I was sitting there looking at that through my broken healing," he continues. "And this was during COVID, and I wasn't touring, and I was reading this like, 'Where in country music am I modeling that for other people? Because all I'm doing as far as I see — and I'm not speaking to any other artist — is glorifying myself.' That's a contradiction that has built up within me over and over until I had to come to this conclusion that there's now a turning point, a new direction for my life."

Though Smith is steadfast in his decision, he wants people to know he's not "advocating that they quit their jobs or trades."

"Ministry is not for everyone," he says. "Once again, I have to just say that with me, with the direction I was going in my self-fulfillment of music, it was crippling to me, and it was taking my life."

Amid his tour and studying, Smith will continue hosting his iHeartRadio show After MidNite and his Granger Smith Podcast.

"These next six months will probably be the busiest of my entire life," he says. "I have a lot on my plate, but I love it."

On the tour, he plans to bring his wife Amber and their kids London, 11, Lincoln, 9, and Maverick, 20 months, along as much as possible. The tour will mark Maverick's first time getting to "know Daddy as a singer."

"Mav still hasn't been to a show, so he'll get to go on the last weekend of me touring," he says. "We'll take pictures, and he won't remember it, but we'll show him one day and say, 'Look, Daddy was a country music singer.'"

In between this transition phase, Smith and his wife have also had to deal with the weight of bringing Maverick to ISR, or Infant Swimming Rescue, classes.

"He's on his second round, and we're trying to make our way through that," he says. "It's not an easy thing, but having him learn to swim is very important."

RELATED VIDEO: Granger Smith's Son, River, 3, Died in a Drowning Accident at Home, Singer's Rep Confirms

Through it all, Smith says he's been lucky to have a partner like Amber.

"That's a really big part of the story, because if she wasn't supporting in this way, this whole conversation would be so difficult," he says. "This whole move would be so difficult if she wasn't fully supporting me, because she's my best friend, and she's my first point of counsel for everything. She's not always my yes man. She's very thoughtful, and I trust her."

With 10 studio albums, one live album and two EPs already under his belt, Smith says the decision has come at just the right time.

"My career was going to start going down at some point, so there's something kind of neat to say that I will have never experienced the downward career spiral that would inevitably have happened to me," he says. "It'll be neat to say that when we walked off, it was to full applause and to a bunch of love from the audience."

And while he'll no longer have a career on stage, Smith says that "does not mean I'm putting up the guitar."

"The guitars are a big part of our house, and singing and dancing and kitchen parties," he says. "That will never go away."

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Granger Smith Reveals Why 2023 Will Be His Farewell Tour In Emotional Video

Photo : Getty Images

Granger Smith shared an heartfelt announcement on Tuesday (April 11), posting a video on Instagram to reveal that this summer’s headlining tour would be his final one.

Smith explained in his recorded message to his fans and social media followers that, rather than continuing to perform his country music on tour, he’ll opt to pursue his faith-based goals in his local church. The shift in his life brings an end to his touring after nearly two and a half decades.

The Texas native admitted that he was “so nervous to make this video,” announcing his farewell tour. He explained, in part, that he has “felt a strong desire to pursue ministry,” and for his family to serve in their local church. He also said he’s been attending seminary, training in ministry, and “that just takes a ton of time to pursue…and that may explain to some of y’all why I’ve appeared, maybe, distant, especially to music lately.”

Smith, who will also be at this year's iHeartCountry Festival in Austin on May 13, also revealed that he has plans for a book to release on August 1 , titled “Like a River.” He said that it “shouldn’t surprise you what that book is about. But, it’s about from when I lost my son, Riv, to when we had Mav, and everything in between.” Smith and his wife, Amber , lost their son,  River Kelly Smith , in a tragic accident  in the summer of 2019. Smith’s representative confirmed at the time that  River died by drowning . He was 3 years old. The Smiths welcomed their son, Maverick Beckham Smith , in August of 2021. Maverick’s name honors River  by including the letters R-I-V in his name.

“This message is so difficult to post,” Smith admitted in his Instagram caption on Tuesday. “The words for this caption are so hard to find. Not because I don’t believe the truth of them, but because this marks the end of the longest era of my life! Touring… 24 years of it.

“This summer will be my last tour,” he continued. “I am so encouraged and hopeful and excited and joyful about the next chapter, but to a large extent, I have no idea what it will look like. I just want to glorify God the best way that I can. I want to learn and grow and serve my local church and allow my pastors to quip and affirm those next steps. Lord willing, I want to be used to help people find their purpose.”

Smith acknowledged that “a lot of ya’ll might not understand this (decision) at all… That’s OK. That’s not what this video’s about.” He also noted that there might be a book tour on the horizon after the release of “Like a River,” and pledged to answer any questions his fans and social media followers have after he announced big decisions in his life and career.

Smith is known for country anthems like “Backroad Song,” “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads” and others. Most recently, the  After MidNite host wrote and released the 12-track Moonrise soundtrack . Smith, who made his acting debut in the film, said at that time that “this was so different than any other process of music making that I’ve been involved in with, and I LOVED every minute of it.”

Watch Smith's video announcing his farewell tour here :

Almost five years after his 3-year-old son River died in a tragic drowning accident, Granger Smith is sure of one thing: suffering has a way of drawing people closer to God. The 44-year-old “Backroad Song” singer told The Christian Post, “For reasons that we don’t fully know, God’s plan will always involve suffering in this present world; pain and suffering draw us nearer to God, and God uses that for many purposes. As a father, I wouldn’t want my children to grow up in a perfect utopia.”

Smith continued, “I want to introduce suffering that I know they can handle so that it produces in them a greater good. Suffering has a way of doing that in all things. It’s not just people; this is how metals are refined, with heat and pressure. So, why wouldn’t a Heavenly Father, who is far superior to anything I could ever imagine as far as planning, nurturing, caring and providing, also introduce suffering into our lives for the greater good or His greater glory? We see this epitomize itself at the cross when Jesus enters humanity in the flesh to involve Himself in suffering. We have a God who is near to the brokenhearted.”

Today, Smith said he and his wife, Amber, and their four children are doing “great. “He said, “It almost feels unfair to even say that because we’ve been through so much. But it is only by God’s grace that we are doing well. The kids are doing well. Amber and I are doing well. The sun really is shining upon our family right now. We’re in a beautiful season right now. That doesn’t mean that it’s without sadness or without grief, but it does mean that it can coexist with joy.” In April 2023, Smith announced that his “Like A River” tour would mark the end of his country music career and that he would be  entering the ministry  full-time to serve the local church.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Granger Smith (@grangersmith)

Currently a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the former country star said he wants to be “equipped” to speak about current issues from a biblical worldview. He said, “There’s a lot of really wise people, by God’s grace, that have been pouring into me a lot. My goal is to be able to speak that language in a way that whatever audience I’m in front of can understand. I don’t want to come in with all this book knowledge; I want to be able to discern what’s the right thing to say in the moment that’s based on the Bible.

Smith continued, “I want to speak from what the Bible says, and then in light of my feelings, instead of my feelings dictating what the Bible says. There’s a lot of bad theology out there based on feelings and how we’re reacting to the world around us, and we’re reacting and creating theologies without even knowing it. It’s really, really dangerous.”

Last year, Smith released  Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache , in which he candidly discussed his path through grief.