Marisa Evans
Country Music Hall of Famer, Randy Travis, is bringing his More Life Tour to Ryman Auditorium on June 5.
Alongside Travis’ original touring band and special guest vocalist James Dupré, the tour will be a musical odyssey through Travis' chart-topping hits, complemented by video highlights from his career in music, film, and television.
Marisa Evans
While Randy won't be taking the microphone as he had for the more than twenty-five years prior to the 2013 stroke that left him with aphasia, he and his wife Mary will grace the stage the entire show to engage with fans and the band. Dupré and the band will perform all sixteen of Travis’ iconic number ones including “On The Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” and “Three Wooden Crosses.”
"I think guests are most looking forward to hearing the music of Randy Travis," says Mary. "He's the soundtrack to so many lives and is multi-generational. It always makes us feel good when a youngster comes up to Randy and says "Mr. Travis I love your music." We think, 'wow these grandparents raised them well!' But that's what is so special about Randy's music. The reason we fall in love with it is because when Randy sings a song he tells a story and he weaves a little of Randy and his heart into his songs. You feel them and can relate to them and they always take you to a time and a place or a person and a memory, and that's what makes them stick with us."
Guests attending the June 5 show at The Ryman can even expect a few surprises from Travis, Dupré, and the band. An iconic venue and Nashville Staple, Travis is no stranger to the Mother Church's stage.
"Randy has played at The Ryman so many times over the years and when he was a youngster still in North Carolina, his daddy would bring the whole family to Nashville and they would go to the Grand Ole Opry and The Ryman," Mary says. "So, It's just part of him and in his fiber. The Ryman is a sacred and spiritual place and so going back, there's something comforting about that. It will be a feel good evening of great music with Randy and that contagious smile of his!"
Travis has also recently released his newest single, “Where That Came From" with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Collaborating with longtime producer Kyle Lehning and talented musicians, this is Travis' first song in over a decade. It was released on May 3, and the track debuted on the charts at number 45.
"Coming from people who are sixty-five who don't know that much about technology, it has been fascinating," says Mary. "When I think back on Randy's career and when he started way back in the 80s, he was a pioneer with music videos and was on the front end of that. Now, fast forward forty years and he's doing AI to bring his voice back to the world. We giggle because here's a man who doesn't even carry a cell phone and doesn't like technology at all, and he's the leading edge!"
Travis and Lehning worked shoulder to shoulder at their mixing board going through songs. "It was over the course of a whole year to get from point a to point b," Mary says. "It was a fascinating endeavor!"
The difference with this song over other AI-generated music?
"This one was done with so much knowledge and so much heart from the artist. It has the blessing of the artist and he was right there on top of it throughout the process," says Mary. "It's wonderful that we get to hear Randy's songs with such perfection and it gives a good name to AI when it is used in the right way."
And on if Travis will be releasing more songs with the help of AI in the future? "Oh yeah!" he says.