Growing up in a small North Carolina town, young Randy Bruce Traywick learned to play guitar by the time he was eight. Two decades and a slight name change later, Randy Travis was one of the most successful, and staunchly traditional, acts in country music. Now enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame, and having survived viral cardiomyopathy and a massive stroke, Travis has lived to tell a tale of stardom, heartache, perseverance and redemption. On May 14th, he will do just that with the release of his memoir, Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life.
Taking the first part of its title from one of the 18 Number One singles he scored during his extended run on the country charts, Travis shares tales of his troubled youth, including drinking and arrests, and looks back at the creative path that took him from music to film and TV roles, and reflects on his near-fatal stroke and other life-threatening health issues while also revealing details of many of the songs that led to worldwide sales of over 25 million and inspired a new generation of pure country vocalists.
I didnt really feel I had a book to write until I stood on the distant shore and looked back over the ripples my life has made on myself and on others, Travis says in a statement. My songs were the stories of my life and I learned from those who listened, they were theirs too my fans inspired me and continue to do so.
Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life is published by Nashville-based Thomas Nelson and will be available May 14th.