Montgomery Gentry are getting ready to release their seventh studio album this fall. The CD, 'Rebels on the Run,' was borne, they say, of blood, sweat and tears -- which makes it the most personal project of their 12-year career.

"In a lot of ways the past year has been has been nothing but hell," Eddie Montgomery admits. The Kentucky native battled -- and successfully beat -- prostate cancer in 2010, as well as watched his marriage to wife Tracy end in divorce. "Man, without T-Roy and my family, this music, our fans and the Man upstairs, I don't know how I would've gotten through it."

His duo partner, Troy Gentry, says it was watching his close friend face so many battles that helped him be more honest on this new set of tunes. "I don't know if we would have made the same album if we hadn't been through everything we've been through in the last year," he notes. "We've always tried to record songs about things we've lived or seen, but the depth of all of those experiences really comes out in this album."

'Rebels on the Run' marks the first project for the award-winning duo on their new record company, Average Joe's Entertainment, after releasing six CDs on their longtime label, Columbia Records. Their current label home paired the guys with several of the same staff that worked with them at Columbia, including the new CEO Tom Baldrica. "Those guys are cut from the same cloth we are and man, they are so creative. We can't wait to get this new project out there to our fans!" Eddie gushes.

Thankfully, the wait won't be too long. 'Rebels on the Run' will hit shelves on October 4. Their first single, 'Where I Come From,' is already climbing the charts at radio.

Montgomery Gentry will play tonight and tomorrow night (August 18 and 19) in California, followed by stops in Nevada and Colorado. See their itinerary here.

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