An Unexpected Meeting Became A Turning Point For Sammy Kershaw
While performing in a roadhouse, then 14-year-old Sammy Kershaw met his lifelong idol, George Jones, who helped him establish the foundation of his career.
A few months after that unexpected meeting, Kershaw was already opening for country legends like Ray Price, Merle Haggard, and the possum himself.
While it was a dream come true for the young teen, it inevitably came with the kind of pressures Kershaw would struggle to deal with. Kershaw battled severe drug and alcohol problems that he decided to take a break from the world of music and worked as Wal-Mart’s remodeling supervisor.
But Kershaw’s heart belongs to country music! So, in 1991, he went back to his first love and released his debut album, Don’t Go Near the Water – which produced some of the best Sammy Kershaw songs. Soon enough, Kershaw became the country star we know today. More than twenty of his singles went all the way to the Top 40 on the charts.
Indeed, Kershaw reached a level of fame and prominence others only dream of.
