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10 Questions with ... Randy Travis
May 26, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Those radio stations, they loved Randy. They loved to see him come visit them. Now it's totally different with social media and all the other things that the youngsters are growing up with now. [But] there's no way he could have done what he did without radio. No way. Thank goodness they embraced him, like you said
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
In his newly-released book, "Forever And Ever, Amen: A Memoir Of Music, Faith And Braving The Storms Of Life," Country music legend Randy Travis looks back candidly on his life and career. The book covers his troubled childhood, his soaring successes as a musician and actor, a painful divorce from his first wife and longtime manager, and the debilitating 2013 stroke that left him with very limited speech. Travis recently sat for an interview with All Access, flanked by his wife and spokesperson, Mary Travis, and the co-writer of his memoir, New York Times bestselling author Ken Abraham.
Just a few days after the interview, the seven-time Grammy Award winner surprised everyone by releasing his first song in six years, "One In A Row." Recorded before his stroke but never widely distributed, the song features all the hallmarks of the songs that helped earn Travis his spot in the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2016. Travis will be promoting the book and new song via daily appearances at the upcoming CMA Fest June 6-9 in Nashville.
1. First of all, how your recovery is coming along, and what's the next milestone for you along that path?
Randy: Good. Yeah.
Mary: Recovery is one day at a time. With a stroke you never know the aftermath, so you take it slow. You're grateful for any new thing that happens or any new brain connection that creates a new word or a new action. So, that brings joy in every day when you find something new and you're like, "Yes!" We're very fortunate to be here six years after the stroke, and against all odds as far as the doctors were concerned. So, we're just grateful for every day.
2. One of the reasons you wrote the book was to inspire other people to persevere in life, or to change course if they happen to be on the wrong path like you were at some points in your life. Why was that so important to you to want to inspire others like that?
Mary: I think it was important to Randy because he loves people. He's a very God-fearing, people-loving person ...I think that Randy wants to encourage those that are going through tough times. He wants to discourage youngsters from doing the things that he did, and he's very open and transparent all of that. So, I think that it's important to Randy because people are important to Randy.
3. Is there any advice that the 60-year-old version of you, who just celebrated your birthday on the Grand Ole Opry stage, would give to the troubled teenaged version of you if you could go back in time?
Ken: I think Randy was true to himself and he was true to the music, and I think if there's any advice for young artists it's [just] that. You've got to be who you are. You can't be somebody else very well, but Randy was always true to him, even when they said he was too Country. He wasn't going to change. That's who he was and is.
Mary: And as far as the troubled ones, Randy would tell them, "Don't do it." Those were not the things in life that paid off. It was following that dream of music, finding your passion and beating the path to that door down. Just follow that dream, and make friends with the dream, and don't ever give it up. And he would tell them, "Don't do the things I did" -- drinking and carousing and doing the things that he says he did in that book as a child, and his brother confirmed it and we all knew. I think that's what Randy wants people to understand is that there's a better way of doing it.
There's a song that Randy has called "That Was Us." It's not one that ever hit #1 or anything. It should, because it's a very sweet song about growing up in a little town like he did in Marshville [NC] and being the troublemaker, writing on the water towers and tearing up the town. But at the same time, when they got a little older and the old farmer down the road was sick, they went and harvested his crop for him. And so, through the whole song it was, "Yes this was us, creating all these troubles and getting in trouble with the police and things," but then, when somebody needed them, [they were there]. That's the story of Randy's life is to give back. So, they harvested the grain and they brought it all in and saved the family farm for their neighbors. That was us.
4. After your first single, which peaked at #91 on Paula Records, radio embraced you very warmly and for many, many years. You went on to enjoy 16 #1 hits and 14 other top 10s. How impactful do you feel radio was on your career after you signed with Warner Bros.?
Mary: Those radio stations, they loved Randy. They loved to see him come visit them. Now it's totally different with social media and all the other things that the youngsters are growing up with now. [But] there's no way he could have done what he did without radio. No way. Thank goodness they embraced him, like you said.
Ken: Some of those guys from Warner, they would take Randy around to the radio stations. Randy would take the time to do that. He would go visit the radio stations, and do interviews and debut new music every time there was an opportunity. Not everybody wants to do that anymore.
5. There's a story in the book that you tell in a funny way about angrily going off on an audience at Country Radio Seminar in 1991 because of a false rumor that had been spreading out there about you. Any regrets about that moment or any other interaction with radio through the years?
Mary: Well, don't we all have regrets and things that we would do differently if we could do them again? But that's the beauty of Randy Travis. He doesn't run from his shortcomings or his failures. He's always been open and honest. He's always owned his own mistakes, and I think that's what makes us love him even more.
6. Do you listen to Country radio today and, if so, what do you think of the current Country music? And would you have found a home there if you were just starting out today?
Randy: Yes.
Mary: I think with his voice, it's one of a kind. It's unrepeatable. I think that voice would always have a home, and certainly now that they know, it'll always have a home in Country music. The new voices that are on there, I watch Randy as he listens to new songs, [including those for consideration on his] his "Diggin' Up Songs" playlist on Spotify, and he listens to the lyric and he listens to the voice, and that's what he appreciates about a song. Even if it's not his style, he still will appreciate these young artists for the voice and the lyric. If there's a story in there, that's what he loves. He doesn't judge them if they're not traditional.
7. You are Mary are planning a move from Texas to Nashville. Is that to be closer to the industry?
Randy: Yes.
Mary: Closer to the industry and closer to the music. I see him come to life when we are here [in Nashville] because he is around the music, around his band, around other stars that he worked with, and [also] the newer ones that show so much respect for him. [He loves] to go out and listen to music wherever we are. I dare say at the IHOP here you can go and hear music. Anywhere you want to go there's music, and that's the fiber. That's what he's made of, and I notice that every time we come back to Nashville.
Last year my mother passed away and she was really the only reason I needed to stay in Texas, or wanted to, and so it's time for us to get back here. We're looking forward to it. As soon as we can sell our place in Texas, we'll be here full time.
8. You have accomplished seemingly everything in your career. You've won every award, done acting and music. Is there anything still on your to-do list of things that you'd like to still accomplish in your career?
Mary: Just keep making a difference in other peoples' lives and encouraging those other artists. It's amazing what this man has done. I remember when we moved into our home, the awards, they were all in a box or they would get shipped to him little by little, and he'd just want to put them in the attic. I said, "Are you kidding?" He's so humble.
9. You recently won a new one, earning the "King Of Country Award" at the Keith Whitley Fingerprint On Country Music Awards in May. How does it feel to be described that way?
Mary: He was a prince for so many years, and maybe with our age now that we're both 60, he's the king of country [laughs]. He doesn't take those awards lightly, that somebody would think that much of him, because he certainly doesn't think that highly of himself. That's what's so endearing about him. You know, George Strait, they call him King of Country, but I don't think George and Randy mind sharing that throne.
10. What's the feedback on the book you've been hearing from fans so far?
Mary: Just great feedback .... We've learned a lot through the whole process, and I know that the fans certainly have learned a lot.
Ken: Country music fans are going to love this book. They really are.
Mary: And it really could be a movie.
Ken: Because it pulls back the curtain and lets you see inside Randy's heart, inside the Country music industry. So much of the press that's been out there about Randy has not been accurate. Here's the real story.
Bonus Questions
Why choose song title "Forever And Ever, Amen" as the title of this book?
Ken: If you hear that song on the radio, it holds up today. If you see the video, it still works today. And it really is the story that we wanted to tell. [Songwriters] Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz were both great as far as telling stories about the song and how it came to be, and just stories about their relationship with Randy. So, it was a natural title for us, I think. We didn't have to look too far for that one.
Mary: Very recognizable, and it sums up everything.
How did you and Ken team up for this book?
Ken: The publisher actually hooked us up together and sent me out to visit with Mary and Randy just to see if we clicked. We did, right away. It was more than the music; it was some of our similar experiences. My wife had had a stroke, so we had that [in common]. But also, it was our faith in God. I think as soon as we got together, it was just that natural thing about wanting to tell more than the story. We wanted something that's going to inspire people, that gives them hope.
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