Randy Travis to be Paid Tribute for 60th Birthday
On Saturday, May 4th, Country Music Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry member Randy Travis will turn 60 years old. And to commemorate the milestone, the Grand Ole Opry is planning a special tribute to Travis, while the flagship radio station of the Opry, 650 AM-WSM, has named Randy Travis their Artist of the Month with special programming beginning for the country legend on Monday, April 29th.
The May 4th Opry presentation will include an appearance by Randy Travis himself, along with fellow Country Music Hall of Famer Don Schlitz, who wrote or co-wrote many of Randy’s biggest hits, including “Deeper Than The Holler,” “Forever And Ever, Amen,” “Heroes And Friends,” “On the Other Hand” and “Point Of Light.” Also making appearances as part of the tribute will be Josh Turner, Charlie Worsham, and Nashville TV star turned Opry regular, Charles Esten.
Randy Travis signed his first major record deal in 1985, and a year later was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. He would go on to sell over 25 million records, win seven Grammy awards, multiple CMA and ACM Awards, and be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2013 Randy Travis suffered a major stroke which has left him mostly unable to perform. However Travis continues to make efforts to be a part of the country music community, regularly making surprise appearances at concerts, including a recent show by Texas country artist Cody Jinks, and a show earlier this month featuring Kelsey Waldon and Jamey Johnson.
On May 14th, Randy Travis will release his long-awaited memoir called Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving The Storms of Life through HarperCollins. It was co-written by Ken Abraham, who has also worked on memoirs for Buzz Aldrin, Jimmy Wayne, and others. Forever and Ever, Amen is said to include candid, never-before-told details from Randy’s life, including recounting his troubled youth, drinking and stealing cars, a tense relationship with his father, and the rollercoaster ride of more than 40 years in the music and acting industry, going from a working-class childhood in North Carolina to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and from a broken marriage to a miraculous daily recovery from his stroke.
Forever and Ever, Amen is now available for pre-order. The May 4th Randy Travis tribute can be heard online at wsmonline.com .
April 28, 2019 @ 11:29 am
Minnie Pearl once said Randy Travis was like an old truck with new wheels. While Country Music struggled with an identity crisis in the mid 80’s, His distinct sound and traditional style single-handedly saved country music from it’s perpetual progressive slide toward pop.
Influenced by George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Lefty Frizzel, Randy Travis brought country music back to it’s roots and bridged the gap for Alan Jackson, Clint Black, and Garth Brooks.
I guess you could say, for a while, he
Made Country Music Great Again!
April 28, 2019 @ 4:01 pm
“Single-handedly”? I completely disagree. This opinion makes it seem as though George Strait, Vern Gosdin, and Ricky Skaggs weren’t already holding it down for traditionalists in the early 80’s.
April 28, 2019 @ 5:32 pm
Certainly there was a sect of traditionalist through the 80’s. But I don’t think any of them were as dominant as Randy Travis. He turned country music on it’s head.
The amazing thing to me was his simplicity. It was the depth of his voice.
Check out this video:
https://youtu.be/2ntD9e8BS2Y
April 29, 2019 @ 7:09 pm
Completely wrong George Strait has had more number one hits than anyone in history and he was popular a few years before Randy Travis.Dwight Yoakum is another artist that I give immense credit to for keeping real country music alive.When it comes to George Strait and Randy Travis which I will give Randy Travis lots of credit I like a lot of his songs but there’s no comparison between the impact George Strait has had and the impact Randy Travis has had on country George still continues to be a strong today as he was 35 years ago still making number one hits. Who else in Country music is still doing that at this at that stage of their career?
April 28, 2019 @ 7:21 pm
I agree. Also Keith Whitley
April 28, 2019 @ 12:39 pm
Travis is a great singer, it goes without saying. But he was late 80s. By then, George Strait was having a lot of hits. Even Haggard was doing pretty well. There was a lot of Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Anne Murray, Reba, Juice Newton, that kind of thing.
Travis was one of the young guys coming out of the music video world of blurred lenses and hair spray.
It took Dwight Yoakam to really clear the air.
April 28, 2019 @ 1:36 pm
You’re not quite right there Corncaster. Randy Travis was not late 80’s. He was mid eighties.He had ten No1 singles by the end of the decade. Yoakam had two during this time and the first of these in ’88 was a duet with Buck Owens.
April 28, 2019 @ 5:10 pm
Well yes Ken, and if you look at it that way, Randy had ‘influence’ by the late 80s. He was there along with Strait and primed the pump for the class of 89. My point was just that he wasn’t doing this “single-handedly.”
Plus, he was a pretty well-scrubbed, clean-cut version. Lefty without the alcohol. Dolly fawned on him as bachelor #1, not as the rebirth of hardscrabble country. The latter belonged belonged to Yoakam, who was way too hick sounding for the time. Travis appealed to suburbia, along with Strait.
For those listeners, Yoakam was the bitter herb hardest to take. His duet with Flaco was a novelty number and not very characteristic of the rest of his work.
Travis was Frizzell without the problems. Even his name and his past was swept under the rug. I love his material and think Schlitz is one of the best songwriters of his generation. Travis just doesn’t strike me as striking a blow for traditional country music. He was just gifted with being able to do it so beautifully, and he did.
Glad that he’s getting tributes. Top of his class.
April 29, 2019 @ 12:43 am
“Plus, he was a pretty well-scrubbed, clean-cut version. Lefty without the alcohol. Dolly fawned on him as bachelor #1, not as the rebirth of hardscrabble country. The latter belonged belonged to Yoakam, who was way too hick sounding for the time. Travis appealed to suburbia, along with Strait.”
..
I don’t necessarily buy your synopsis of the artists and the time.
I think Randy and Strait played country completely “straight.” Dwight didn’t sound like a hick at all when he was interviewed. He actually had a bit of irony to him that appealed to educated, urban audiences–and maybe made him somewhat “suspicious”–or suspect–to country audiences.
..
As for Randy and being so clean-cut: There was that whole weird relationship with Lib Hatcher. It was only after the National Enquirer wrote an article insinuating that Travis was gay that he came out and announced that he was married to Hatcher. He said that he had been told not to reveal that because it would hurt his career. I think that suspicions over his lack of candor on that whole issue was a reason that Travis’s record sales declined pretty steeply shortly after the Garth era began, and he never really recovered. By 1992, his albums were struggling to crack the top 10 or achieve any sales certifications, and by ’95, his singles were struggling, as well.
April 29, 2019 @ 12:50 am
Agree, but Yoakam was a total black horse coming out of nowhere,too country for Nashville, the Dead kennedys of country music! Unmatchable!
April 28, 2019 @ 2:08 pm
Travis debuted in 1985 with “Storms of Life.” Yoakam debuted in 1986 with “Guitars, Cadillacs.” So both premiered right around the same time.
April 28, 2019 @ 3:16 pm
Add in Guitar Town. I’ve listened to those albums for decades now. Appetite for Destruction was just around the corner as well. Cornerstone albums for me, personally.
April 28, 2019 @ 2:33 pm
Randy Travis is a super country star his voice is beauful and I love too hear him sing he deserves too be in the grand old oper. ,I am very happy for Randy Travis f
O
April 28, 2019 @ 2:51 pm
Randy Traywick, later Randy Ray & Randy Travis debuted in 1978 with an album & reached the charts with one single (“She’s My Woman”- #91).
In the early 80’s Randy Traywick became Randy Ray (one live album was released).
A couple of years later he was signed by Warner Nashville after other labels turned him down for being “too country”.
(Sources: People – The Aloha Cowboy & rollingstone.com – Flashback: See Randy Travis Perform As ‘Randy Ray)
April 28, 2019 @ 5:48 pm
In my opinion, when he arrived on the scene, Randy Travis “jerked” Country Music back into reality! He gave hope to those of us who were losing faith in what we believed was the music of our soul. I will forever feel grateful to Randy for his enormous contribution to the entertainment industry and to my life-long love… Country Music.
April 28, 2019 @ 6:59 pm
I wish you a Happy Birthday and you should praise God for your beautifu wife Mary for believeing in God.Take Care
April 28, 2019 @ 7:07 pm
Ricky Van Shelton was a little later but ALSO helped bring back traditional county music. I love all of them mentioned above!
April 29, 2019 @ 12:19 am
A great live artiste. Fantastic band. He appeared at the Royal Albert Hall & played to a full house including some famous stars of the day. A genuine talent & true country.
April 29, 2019 @ 5:08 am
I’m just glad Sheryl Crow isn’t part of the tribute.
April 29, 2019 @ 5:40 am
I really enjoyed Randy Travis and his music. I saw him i. Concert. I also saw Reba, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks and many others. I enjoyed them all some more than others. I consider them to all have set their mark.
April 29, 2019 @ 6:32 am
’85 was indeed an eclectic time. The group of newer artists and their debut albums who were profiled by the major labels included Travis (Storms of Life), Steve Earle (Guitar Town) and Lyle Lovett (Lyle Lovett), if I’m not mistaken. I, like so many others, was a huge fan of Storms of Life. All of these albums were great commercial outputs IMO.
Glad to see RT getting out in the public eye. Will likely buy the memior.
April 29, 2019 @ 10:39 am
I wish I was near You I could say Waay Poa Keep I hear your musical good Salama Sana John kamau from Nairobi Kenya.
April 29, 2019 @ 1:28 pm
Randy Travis is in my top five and always has been. right along with Hank Sr., DAC, Waylon, and the Hag. Jones and Cash honorable mentions. 👍
April 29, 2019 @ 7:14 pm
I like the sound of Randy Travis’ voice,,its a very distinct voice,,nasally,,,lol. Alan Jackson IS THE MAN !,,,,he can make any song sound good,,,, Ricky Van Shelton his voice is beautiful too. I love them all,,,they all have been blessed with their own unique voice with a talent I wish I had been born with ! Congratulations Randy Travis
God Bless You,,,,,,,,all of you are amazing !
April 29, 2019 @ 7:45 pm
My wife and I went to a concert in Las Vegas where he was performing. Setting outside on the front row at the concert I raised UP 3 fingers and Randy said I normally don’t do songs like this in places like Vegas. He then sang Three Rugged Crosses and the applause was the loudest of the night. What a blessing to hear him sing this in person.
April 30, 2019 @ 12:29 pm
I love you brother. You are always been the best.
May God of universe blesses you the best health wealth and happiness.
April 30, 2019 @ 4:22 pm
Love Randy Travis. The Best. HAPPY BIRTHDAY and many more. Wish I could meet you. GOD BLESS.
Sandra Kay Johnson
May 1, 2019 @ 12:06 am
Randy Travis, you are my lovely brother
You are super country 🌟
May God of universe blesses you the best health wealth and happiness.
You are always in my prayers.
Love you brother.
May 4, 2019 @ 3:09 pm
this singer is one of the ones of all. And after what he has been thought he devours one big birthday party in the world. And I hope that grand old opry give him one. Because this one fan that loves him and Marry is one very lucky lady. I pray everyday day he gets well. Again Randy Travis happy birthday Corinne Mattinen
May 5, 2019 @ 10:23 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RANDY TRAVIS
AND TO YOUR BEAUTIFUL WIFE MARY
THANK YOU FOR NEVER GIVING UP.
ON HIM. MAY THE LORD CONTINUE
TO BLESS AND KEEP YOU BOTH
AMAZING GRACE ABOUNDS !