Randy Travis

Randy Travis, born in 1959, American country-and-western singer and songwriter, noted for his quiet and traditional musical style. Born Randy Traywick in Marshville, North Carolina, Travis dropped out of school in ninth grade, and by the age of 14 he was playing music in local settings. He became involved with drugs and crime and, narrowly escaping imprisonment, he was placed on probation in the custody of his future manager, club owner Lib Hatcher. In the early 1980s Travis moved to Nashville, where he sang and worked as a dishwasher. In 1984 he signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records, and by 1986 he had recorded many hit singles and the best-selling album Storms of Life (1986). This album was followed by two more successful albums, Always and Forever (1987) and Old 8 x 10 (1988).

Travis became known for his quiet, down-home style, and he was one of the youngest performers ever invited to join the exclusive Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Credited for having increased the popularity of country music, Travis won Grammy Awards and numerous country music prizes for his best-selling album No Holdin' Back (1989). On his album Heroes and Friends (1990) he recorded duets that he performed with some of his longtime favorite singers. That album was followed by High Lonesome (1991).