Several years after his 3-year-old son died in a drowning accident in 2019, Granger Smith said goodbye to the country music industry.
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He detailed how he dealt with the grief of his unbelievable loss in his book, Like A River. Smith has since found solace in helping others who have also faced loss. He eventually started his own ministry near Austin, Texas, to help others hold on to their faith.
Now, the "Backroad Song" singer has a new book coming out this fall titled Poison in the Well. It's about how God set him on a new path.
Granger Smith Tried to Hold On to His Faith
Fox News shared that one of the reasons Smith started his ministry was to help others hold on to their faith when things get difficult. Listening to people is a skill he honed while touring.
"I remember reading stories of certain artists that said the meet-and-greets are the worst part of their day because they bring them down," Smith said. "They hear everyone's problems, and then they have to go perform. And sometimes, musicians would even cancel meet-and-greets so they could just play the music."
He added, "I was one of the strange ones who actually liked hearing people and learning about their struggles, joys and sorrows. Since leaving music and focusing on ministry, that's all I do: focus on the people."
Smith Doesn't Miss Showbiz, but He Hasn't Ruled Out Returning to Music
Smith doesn't miss the pressures of being a touring musician. He realized he was missing out on what mattered most to him: his family and his church.
"It was very hard for me to separate promoting myself and my music, standing on a stage in front of a lot of people," he explained. "To say not to let it go to my head is almost underplaying it, because it's nearly impossible for anyone to be worshiped in that way."
He added, "Men and women are not meant to be worshiped. We're not created to be worshiped. And if we are, it actually hurts us. It becomes poison in our veins."
But he hasn't completely ruled out returning to music. It would just be on his terms.
"I realized that I could make up songs according to Scriptures," said Smith. "And then, I realized maybe these could be helpful for others, not only kids, but also other people, to be able to think through Scripture and to memorize Scripture in a unique way by singing it. So maybe in the future, there'll be an album by me released that has Scripture songs."
