Randy Travis, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame three years after a stroke threatened to stifle his famed voice, moved the audience to tears with a sing-along song of “Amazing Grace.”
Travis performed once more during the medallion ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, when he was inducted alongside fiddler Charlie Daniels and music producer Fred Foster. Travis has 57 years of age.
Many performers, including Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, and many others, paid musical tribute to the three winners.
Travis’s wife, Mary Davis-Travis, has made public comments about the six months Travis was hospitalized for after suffering a stroke caused by a viral disease. Travis is a Grammy-winning vocalist.
“Randy stared death down, but death blinked,” Davis-Travis explained. “God’s proof of a miracle sits before you today.”
Travis was recognized for setting a new standard when his debut album (‘Storms of Life’) was certified platinum within its first year of release. He paved the way for neo-traditional musicians like Alan Jackson, Clint Black, and Brooks in the 1990s.
Jackson, who performed “On the Other Hand,” toured with Travis in the early 1990s and was compared to Elvis at the time.
“The women were screaming and fainting as he sang, and it was insane,” Jackson added. “I really enjoyed it. Someone singing true country music and having that effect, as well as selling all those records, made me so pleased.”
Daniels, the fiddler behind “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” was lauded for his ability to blend Southern rock, bluegrass, gospel, and country into a unique sound.
“This plaque is more than simply another honor or accolade,” Daniels explained. “It’s a page from history. “A never-ending history book.”
Trace Adkins and fiddler Andrea Zonn sang “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” while Jamey Johnson sang “Long Haired Country Boy.”
Randy Travis performs Amazing Grace during George Jones’ funeral.
Foster was the founder of Monument Records, which helped artists such as Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Kris Kristofferson launch their careers. Foster co-wrote and produced Kris Kristofferson’s iconic song “Me and Bobby McGee,” and Foster also worked on Dolly Parton’s debut album.
