Herndon made his chart debut in 1995 with “What Mattered Most,” which became his first No. 1 song and garnered a Song of the Year award (Music Row Magazine). It was also the title track to his debut album, which debuted on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and had the biggest first-week shipment in the history of Epic Records’ Nashville.

Between 1995 and 2002, Herndon charted 17 singles, including his three No.1s and numerous top 10 hits, such as “I Want My Goodbye Back,” “Loved Too Much,” “A Man Holding On,” and “Hands of a Working Man.” He topped the charts in 1996 with the single “Living in a Moment” and again in 1998 with “It Must Be Love.”

In 2014, Ty was the first major male country artist to publicly come out as gay in an exclusive with People magazine. He received an outpouring of support that only strengthened his relationship with fans and the country music community, all while expanding his reach to new and diverse audiences. Shortly after, he made history when he hosted a first-of- its-kind country music event, The Concert for Love and Acceptance. The event, designed to raise awareness and support for LGBTQ youth and families, received national attention from Boston Globe, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Tonight,and many more. Since the launch of the event, Herndon has partnered with GLAAD to produce the event each year and created the Foundation For Love & Acceptance in 2020 to further his work on behalf of LGBTQ acceptance.

Ty found himself back at No. 1 in 2020 — this time on iTunes with his remake of “Orphans of God,” a collaboration with Kristin Chenoweth and Paul Cardall featured on his holiday release, Regifted. He is currently in the studio writing and recording a new album — his first of all new music since 2016’s House On Fire.