He sat on a small milking stool in the basement, tore open the case of beer he had hidden from his wife, thought about his six day old son upstairs and chose to pray instead of taking another drink.
He did not drink the beer and according to Raybon he never drank alcohol again.
That decision came while Marty Raybon was at the center of one of country music’s biggest success stories. In 1991 Shenandoah was at a career peak with “The Church on Cumberland Road” and “Sunday in the South” and “Two Dozen Roses” and “Next to You, Next to Me” all reaching No. 1, and the band was named ACM Vocal Group of the Year.
But Raybon’s life offstage was unraveling. His drinking had become severe and he later admitted missing a concert because of alcohol. At home his children sometimes avoided bringing friends over because they never knew if he would be passed out on the couch.
The Breaking Point With A Newborn Upstairs
Raybon’s wife had just returned home with their newborn son and the baby was six days old. Raybon had come back from a four day binge and could barely remember how he got home.
Withdrawal hit hard. His heart pounded, black spots filled his vision and he had to steady himself against the wall as he made his way downstairs. He knew something was wrong, but he also knew there was beer in the basement.
He had hidden a case of beer from his wife and convinced himself one or two might calm his body down. He reached the basement and sat on that small milking stool and tore open the case, then he started thinking about what would happen if he died with his wife upstairs, his children in the house and the six day old baby who might grow up without a father.
Sobriety Did Not Erase The Chaos Around Shenandoah
Sobriety did not make Shenandoah’s problems disappear. The band was simultaneously being crushed by lawsuits over its name, eventually spending more than $2 million and entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Raybon now had to face that chaos without alcohol.
Shenandoah survived. “If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too)” returned the band to No. 1 in 1994 and “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart” with Alison Krauss later brought them a Grammy. Raybon eventually left the group, spent years away and returned in 2014.
A Private Choice That Became A Lifeline For Others
Sobriety also changed what he did beyond music. He began speaking directly with people struggling with addiction and he later recalled helping one man whose crisis had become so severe that he was holding a loaded gun and considering suicide.
The baby upstairs grew up with his father.
By then the meaning of that unopened case of beer had traveled far beyond one basement. Years later other families began calling that father when they feared someone they loved might not make it through the night, because the man who once feared he might not make it back upstairs had become someone who could help others survive their darkest hour.