Randy Travis

Travis’ major label debut album, Storms of Life, was released in 1986 and went on to sell more than 4 million copies. Always and Forever, his second collection, was No. 1 for 10 solid months and won a Grammy Award. Old 8×10, his third set, also won a Grammy. To be sure, the first boom in the ‘new country’ movement had sounded. In 1986, Travis was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. By the time he turned 30 in 1989, he’d sold more than 13 million records, paving the way for a new generation of country stars like Garth Brooks, Clint Black and Travis Tritt.

In 1992, Travis became the first country artist, to release two albums simultaneously. Both volumes of his Greatest Hits became sales blockbusters. Later that year, he and Alan Jackson collaborated on Jackson’s No. 1 smash ‘She’s Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues).’ Travis then scored back-to-back No. 1 hits of his own, ‘If I Didn’t Have You’ and ‘Look Heart, No Hands.’

In 1997, Travis left Warner Bros. Records and signed with new label DreamWorks Nashville. His first album for the label, 1998’s You and You Alone, put Travis back in the spotlight with Top 5 singles ‘Out of My Bones,’ and ‘Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man,’ and the Top 10 single ‘The Hole.’ Travis released a second DreamWorks album, A Man Ain’t Made of Stone in 1999.

In 2000, he followed with Inspirational Journey, a contemporary Gospel album on Warner Bros. Travis released a second Christian-themed album, Rise and Shine, in 2002. Its first single, ‘Three Wooden Crosses,’ unexpectedly reached No. 1 at country radio and won the CMA song of the year in 2003. The album won a Grammy in 2004. After this surprising career boost, he contined to release inspirational albums, including Worship & Faith (2003), Passing Through (2004) and Glory Train (2005).