Randy Travis

Randy Bruce Traywick (born May 4, 1959), better known as Randy Travis, is an American country singer and actor. Active since 1985, he has recorded more than a dozen studio albums to date, in addition to charting more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which sixteen have reached Number One.
Considered a pivotal figure in the history of country music, Travis broke through in the mid-1980s with the release of his album Storms of Life on Warner Bros. Records; the album sold more than three million copies. It also established him as a neotraditionalist country act, and was followed by a string of several more platinum and multi-platinum albums throughout his career. Starting in the mid-1990s, however, Travis saw decline in his chart success. He left Warner Bros. in 1997 for DreamWorks Records; there, he would eventually switch his focus to gospel music, a switch which, despite earning him only one more country hit in the Number One "Three Wooden Crosses," earned him several Dove Awards.
Travis, in addition to singing, holds several acting credits, starting with his television special Wind in the Wire in 1992. Since then, he has appeared in several movie and television roles, occasionally as himself.

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Personal life:
Travis was born in Marshville, North Carolina, the second of six children of Bobbie (née Tucker), a textile factory worker, and Harold Traywick, a horse breeder, turkey farmer, substitute school teacher and construction business owner. He is of Cornish English descent on his father's side, with the family name originally spelled Traweek. He is a descendant of Cornish immigrant Robarde Traweek, whose son Robert was born in 1700 in Stafford County, Virginia and died in 1788 in Onslow County, North Carolina, establishing the North Carolinian roots of the Traywick family.
While growing up, Travis was forced to take guitar lessons by his father and began performing at the age of eight with his brother, Ricky. He often fought with his father and soon dropped out of high school. He became a juvenile delinquent and was arrested for various offenses, including auto theft and burglary. Travis has since voiced regret for his past misdeeds.
Harold Traywick entered Randy and Ricky in a talent contest at a nightclub called "Country City USA" in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the meantime, Ricky, who also had brushes with the law, was sentenced to jail and Randy had to complete the contest alone, but he won anyway. The club's manager, Elizabeth "Lib" Hatcher, took an interest in Travis and gave him a job singing at the club. Travis began focusing on music. He first recorded for Paula Records and released two unsuccessful singles — "She's My Woman" and "Dreamin'".
Travis moved in with Hatcher, which put further strain on her already fragile marriage. She eventually left her husband and, in 1982, she and Travis moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Travis was soon turned down by every record label in town. His early demo tapes were criticized by Nashville record executives as being "too country." Hatcher took a job as manager of a nightclub, "The Nashville Palace" and hired Travis as a cook and singer. It was during this time that an unlikely romance began to form between the two; Travis said "I think we discovered how much we needed each other." He and Elizabeth "Lib" Hatcher soon came forward with their relationship and were married in a private ceremony in 1991. They divorced on October 29, 2010 after a 19-year marriage. Despite the divorce, their 34-year business relationship continues.
Career:
In 1982, Travis recorded an independent album Live at the Nashville Palace and Lib Hatcher used it to secure a deal with Warner Bros. Records. However, the label said they had to keep their romance a secret so as not to turn away fans, and changed his stage name from Randy Ray to Randy Travis. In 1985, Warner Brothers released the single "On the Other Hand" which peaked at #67 on the country charts. His next single, "1982", became a Top 10 hit followed by the re-release of "On the Other Hand" in 1986. The re-release became Travis' first number one hit.
His debut album, Storms of Life, went on to sell more than 4 million copies. In the late 1980s he had a string of hits, including "No Place Like Home" and "Diggin' Up Bones". A song from his second Warner Brothers album Always and Forever titled "Forever and Ever, Amen" arguably launched the neo-traditionalist country era. For two years in a row, Travis won the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, for the albums Always & Forever in 1988, and for Old 8x10 in 1989. He also won the Grammy for Best Country Newcomer in 1986. Off the success of his first two albums, Old 8x10 was certified platinum, and Always and Forever was number one for 43 weeks.
In 1991 Travis took part in Voices That Care, a multi-artist project that featured other top names in music for a one-off single to raise money for the allied troops in the Gulf War. The project included fellow singers Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers and Kathy Mattea. In addition, Travis recorded the patriotic song "Point of Light" in response to the Thousand points of light program initiated by President George H.W. Bush. Its release prompted New York freelance writer Lina Accurso to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission charging that the single qualified as political advertising for since Bush media consultant Roger Ailes produced the song's video and White House publicist Sig Rogich, was credited as a co-writer. The FEC rejected the complaint, ruling that the song and video "neither expressly advocate the election of, nor solicit contributions on behalf of, Mr. Bush."
In 1992, Travis took a break from music to concentrate on acting and landed roles in several Western-genre films. He returned to recording with the 1994 album This Is Me and the hit single "Whisper My Name". Three years later, Travis parted ways with Warner Brothers and signed with DreamWorks Nashville. He recorded You and You Alone, which produced the top 10 hits "Out of My Bones", "The Hole" and "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man".
After the 1999 release of A Man Ain't Made of Stone, Travis shifted away from mainstream country and focused on Gospel. During this time, he recorded the albums Inspirational Journey (2000), Rise and Shine (2002), and Worship & Faith (2003). The single "Three Wooden Crosses" from the Rise and Shine album reached No. 1 and won the CMA song of the year in 2003. That same year, Travis ranked #13 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music. Additionally, he continued to act in film and television; he appeared in several episodes and in the series finale of Touched by an Angel. His album, Passing Through, was released in November 2004. It combined the country music of his earlier years, with the gospel influences from his latest albums. After the release of Glory Train: Songs of Faith, Worship, and Praise in 2005 and the Christmas album Songs of the Season in 2007, Travis released his brand new single "Faith in You" as a free download from his official website. It heralded the July 2008 release of his album, Around the Bend, his first collection of mainly secular recordings in nearly a decade.
In February 2009, Travis' "I Told You So" was released as a single by Carrie Underwood, who had recorded the song for her 2007 album Carnival Ride. The next month, radio stations were sent a duet version of the song, featuring Randy Travis on vocals. From then, he was credited with Underwood on the single, which peaked at No. 2 on the Country charts and No. 9 on the U.S. Hot 100. That month, Travis released the 2 disc greatest hits compilation I Told You So: The Ultimate Hits of Randy Travis. In June 2011, he unveiled his latest album, Anniversary Celebration.

Randy Travis est le nom de scène du chanteur de musique country américain Randy Bruce Traywick, né le 4 mai 1959 à Marshville en Caroline du Nord. Il est l'un des piliers du renouveau de la musique country de la fin des années 1980 connus sous le nom de « nouveaux traditionalistes » (new traditionalists). Fidèle continuateur de George Jones, Lefty Frizzell ou Merle Haggard, la voix mâle, expressive et veloutée de Randy est au service de textes, souvent remarquables, traitant de sujets contemporains. Randy Bruce Traywick naît le 4 mai 1959 à Marshville, en Caroline du Nord. Après de longues années difficiles passées à jouer dans de petits clubs de Charlotte (Caroline du Nord), il gagne Nashville en 1982 et ouvre un cabaret, le Nashville Palace. Il fait la cuisine, dirige l'entreprise et joue tous les soirs pour un public qui ne cesse de s'étoffer au cours des mois. Il enregistre aussi un album auto-produit, Randy Ray Live, et réussit à attirer l'attention du label Warner en 1985, autant par sa musique que par son allure de séducteur ténébreux qui lui permettra d'ailleurs de figurer dans plusieurs films et téléfilms. Ses premiers 45-tours (On the Other Hand, 1982) sont des succès immédiats, tout comme ses premiers albums, les remarquables Storms of Life (1986, Warner) et Always and Forever (1987, Warner). Voir l'album heroes and friends avec des duos inattendus.
Lui aussi fait parti des chanteurs m'ayant donné le goût pour la country; sa voix est reconnaissable entre mille, j'adore!
Randy Travis.com

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