The Resurrection of Randy Travis
Randy Travis has a trophy case that includes six Country Music Association (CMA) awards, eleven Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards, seven Grammy Awards, and eight Dove Awards. He sold over 25 million records, earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was deservedly inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Travis hit the country music scene running in the mid-1980s and is credited with putting “country” back into country music. According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the attention Travis’ southern drawl and country twang drew created a “sales explosion.” He made history as the first country artist whose first album went platinum (sales of at least a million) and was the first debuting country artist to go multi-platinum.
Randy Travis & The Class of ’89
This new kind of success in the country music format paved the way for a new class of country artists who would continue to make waves including the legendary “Class of 1989” which includes Alan Jackson, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt.
From 1986 hits like On the Other Hand and Diggin Up Bones, to 1991’s Better Class of Losers written with Alan Jackson, to Carrie Underwood’s version of I Told You So in 2009, Travis was writing and recording right up until he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013.
The Stroke
The medical event, which nearly killed him, greatly limited his ability to speak and sing, but it did not stop him. In 2019, Travis called upon a contestant he first saw on The Voice, James Dupre, to be his voice on his next tour. The two set out on a 12-city tour with Travis’ band; Dupre on lead vocals and Travis making a vocal appearance in moments, such as the final “amen” in Forever and Ever, Amen.
Related: Randy Travis to Release New Studio Recording
Randy Travis and James Dupre continued touring together over the years since then and now Dupre is the voice behind Travis’ new song “Where That Came From.” However, you won’t hear Dupre on it. He initially recorded the song in 2011 and was surprised by the new rendition of Travis’ vocals. The production team used AI to piece together sounds from dozens of Randy Travis recordings to create the vocals on the new song.
In an industry where the thought of Artificial Intelligence can be daunting, this new song and opportunity for a legend like Randy Travis and his “voice” James Dupre is a dream come true. We had a chance to talk to Dupre about his involvement. He agreed that he is also “still on the fence about the use of AI in the music business,” but if Randy Travis has given his blessing, and this is the only way for him to use his voice, “to take that away from him doesn’t make any sense.”
Randy Travis and Mary Davis At The ACM Awards
We had the privilege of speaking with Randy Travis and his wife, Mary Davis, while we were at the ACM Awards in May. We talked about his new song and his country music legacy. Nicole said it best, ” If you’re not working as hard as Randy, you’re not working.”
