Photo: Getty Images
Teddy Gentry, one of the founding members of the country band Alabama, has been arrested on misdemeanor marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia charges, per multiple reports.
The 70-year-old musician from Fort Payne, Alabama, was booked into the Cherokee County Jail in the northeastern region of the state and released shortly after. Booking information from the Cherokee Country Sheriff’s Office shows that Gentry was booked into the jail at 10:38 a.m. on Monday (September 12), and released at 11:06 a.m. the same day.
The band’s spokesman, Don Murry Grubbs, told the Associated Press that he was aware of Gentry’s arrest but did not have an immediate comment. The Associated Press also noted in its report that that Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver has said that Gentry was arrested during a traffic stop.
Gentry formed the band with Randy Owen and Jeff Cook more than five decades ago. The trio of cousins spent “six long years of tip jars and word of mouth to earn the major label deal they'd been dreaming of, but then seemingly no time at all to change the face of country music.” The Country Music Hall of Famers went on to release tons of hits over the years, including “Dixieland Delight,” “Mountain Magic,” “Tennessee River” and other fan-favorite tracks.
Photo: Cherokee Country Sheriff’s Office