Country music star opens up on retirement at 60: ‘I’m not a young man anymore’

Country music star John Michael Montgomery played her retirement show earlier this month at Rupp Arena, and heading into the big event he sat down for an interview where he revealed why he was walking away.

Montgomery is just 60, and for a singer that is still relatively young. But Montgomery’s reasoning is sound. He told Taste of Country the build to retiring from the road actually began back during COVID. He was forced to take a break, just like most entertainers during the pandemic, and at the end of the year he had an eye-opener.

“I noticed my body and my voice — everything — felt so good from being rested and not traveling,” he told Taste of Country. “I didn’t realize how hard traveling on the road was getting to me.”

The singer suffered four broken ribs the next year in a bus crash, and that kind of solidified things.

“It’s the same with any athlete, pro athlete, who’s been playing sports for years,” he told Taste of Country. “They finally look in the mirror and realize it’s a young man’s game, and I’m not a young man anymore.”

So, Montgomery said, at 58 he told his family when he hit 60 he was giving up touring.

“I couldn’t have made a better story,” he told Taste of Country. “From 50 years old to 60 went really fast. I know that 60 to 70 years old — good Lord willing I make it to 70 — it’s going to go faster. I want to try to enjoy it. I don’t want my memories to be riding in a bus, living out of a bunk or hotel room. I want them to be more about seeing my family grow.”

Montgomery did share a bit of news with Taste of Country that his fans will be glad to hear. While he is stepping away from touring, he is leaving the door open to performing.

“I grew up on the stage,” he said. “My favorite part of it all — above having hit records and all that stuff — is walking out on stage to entertain people. From the time I was a kid at 6 years old, I’ve loved that, and I still love it just as much today.”