Randy Travis' 1986 LP Storms of Life was a cornerstone of the “new traditionalist” 

movement in Nashville.

Randy Travis Celebrates Silver Anniversary

~ John Sharpe

A winner of seven Grammy Awards, 10 Academy of Country Music statuettes, 10 American Music Awards, two People’s Choice awards, seven Music City News awards, eight Dove Awards and five Country Music Association honours, Randy Travis  (born Randy Bruce Traywick) is one of the most rewarded country singers of all time. Currently celebrating his 25th year in the music business, Travis recalls a time when things weren’t looking so good for him. 

“I wanted to be in this business and I wanted to be a writer and singer, but I'd been turned down by every label in Nashville for 10 years. So when I finally got signed and things started to happen to such a degree I was kinda shocked. I'm sure I had that deer in the headlight look quite often. I've always been grateful to be in this business but at 25 years I'm probably more thankful than I've ever been to go on tour, have an audience and still record.” 

On February 10 Travis kicked-off his 2012 concert tour with shows spanning the U.S., as well as Canada. Like many artists, Travis is happy to be on the road performing for his long-time fan base.

“With the exception of a few months I've been on tour for the last 25 years. I've had people ask me about retiring and my answer to that would be what would I do? I think most people in the country music genre, we start touring and we do that until we die.” 

At the present time Travis is scheduled to play around 10 dates in Canada. Unfortunately, his tour itinerary doesn’t include the Forest City, but he says he always enjoys performing in the Great White North. 

“We've always been treated so well in Canada. Years ago on my first trip up to Canada the guys at Warner Brothers Nashville said you probably won't get quite the response from an audience in Canada as you might get in the US and after the first night I told them you sure missed that by a long way. We did two encores and the audience treated us like we were back home.  I always appreciated that.”

In addition to his current tour, Travis has also released a new Anniversary Celebration CD. The 17-track collection includes contributions from Tim McGraw, Jamey Johnson, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, George Jones, Zac Brown Band, Kris Kristofferson, Lorrie Morgan and many more.   

“As a singer I pretty much stick to country music, but I've had some wonderful success in the gospel area and a couple of Christmas albums as well. But it's all going to be pretty much in the country area. I mean, just listen to me speak, what else would I do? I can't get too far away from what I do. If I were to attempt something in pop music it would probably sound like I'd lost my mind.” 

Influenced by country legends like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams Sr., Travis respects the “new breed” of country singers but he still yearns for the days before the “big hat” generation came to dominate the genre.  

“I wish there were a bit more of the traditionalist coming out, but at the same time I like Jamey Johnson and Josh Turner, Allan Jackson, George Straight's still out there, Brad Paisley. There are some wonderful country vocalists out there who are keeping it country. I know there is room for all influences, be it pop, blues, gospel, whatever. But I'm a dinosaur so I hope as time goes by we see a few more traditionalists come through.” 

When he’s not touring or recording, Travis can often be found working on a movie set. Over the years he’s appeared in numerous films and television series, including The Rainmaker (1997) with Matt Damon, Texas Rangers (2001) with James Van Der Beek, and seven episodes of the Touched By An Angel television series.

“The only way I would compare doing television or working on a movie as opposed to giving a live performance is that with a live performance there's that immediate feedback. As Barbara Mandrell often said there's that exchange of energy between you and the audience that is unlike anything you'll experience anywhere. When I stand in front of a camera, I don't get a lot of feedback. I've worked with some great actors and I've enjoyed making movies, but singing still comes first.” 

Ever polite, Travis ended our interview in true cowboy fashion.

“It's been good talking to you this morning. I think probably I'm going to go down and saddle a horse now!”