History Music / RandyTravis

* ListSong: "Deeper Than the Holler" lists country-themed analogies for the narrator's love.

** HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Said character's mom.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/randy_travis.jpg]]

* VocalEvolution: On the songs he did as Randy Traywick in the 70s, he had a more swaggering voice that sounded like a mix between Music/WaylonJennings and Music/ConwayTwitty. By the time he signed to Warner, his voice developed into his familiar reedy bass-baritone, most notable by ''Old 8×10''. It happened again in the late 90s-early 2000s when he started sounding older and more weathered.

* VocalEvolution: On the songs he did as Randy Traywick in the 70s, he had a more swaggering voice that sounded like a mix between Music/WaylonJennings and Music/ConwayTwitty. By the time he signed to Warner, his voice quickly developed into his familiar reedy bass-baritone. It happened again in the late 90s-early 2000s when he started sounding older and more weathered.

Influential CountryMusic singer of the 1980s and 1990s. Born Randy Bruce Traywick, he didn't break into the scene instantly: a deal with Paula Records in 1978 produced only two dud singles. Three years later, he released a live album as Randy Ray, but it wasn't until 1985 that he signed a contract with Creator/WarnerBrosRecords, this time as Randy Travis. Even this wasn't an instant success, as his first Warner single, "On the Other Hand," stalled at #67 on the country charts. However, he had a Top 10 hit with "1982" only a year later, and then persuaded the label to re-release "On the Other Hand." Despite this unorthodox move, that song went on to become his first #1 hit. Of his next twelve singles, all but two went to #1 on the country charts. His first three Warner albums, ''Storms of Life'', ''Always & Forever'', and ''Old 8×10'', are considered some of the finest country of TheEighties, and a cornerstone of the genre's shift back to a more traditional, fiddle-and-steel sound compared to the pop crossovers that dominated the first half of the decade. Songs such as "On the Other Hand", "Forever and Ever, Amen", "I Told You So", "Too Gone Too Long", "Honky Tonk Moon", and "Deeper Than the Holler" are still among his most popular cuts.

Travis then moved to Creator/DreamWorks Records for two more albums: ''You and You Alone'' had three Top 10 hits, while ''A Man Ain't Made of Stone'' also underperformed. At this point, Travis repositioned himself as a gospel artist, moving to Christian label Word Records for a string of five albums released between 2001 and 2005. Among the few singles from said albums, "Three Wooden Crosses" was the only one that got any attention from radio, becoming his last #1 hit to date. Returning to both traditional country and Warner Bros. in 2008, he put out ''Around the Bend'', which got a couple Grammy nominations despite no hits. Music/CarrieUnderwood covered "I Told You So" in 2009 and eventually re-released the song as a duet with him, bringing him into the Top 10 one last time. The success also dovetailed into his 2009 greatest-hits package ''I Told You So: The Ultimate Hits of Randy Travis''.

!Tropes present in Randy Travis' work:

* UncommonTime: The verse to "If I Didn't Have You" is in 7/2 on the verses.

Travis then moved to Creator/DreamWorks Records for two more albums: ''You and You Alone'' had three Top 10 hits, while ''A Man Ain't Made of Stone'' also underperformed. At this point, Travis repositioned himself as a gospel artist, moving to Christian label Word Records for a string of five albums released between 2001 and 2005. Among the few singles from said albums, only "Three Wooden Crosses" was the only one that got any attention from radio, becoming his last #1 hit to date. Returning to both traditional country and Warner Bros. in 2008, he put out ''Around the Bend'', which got a couple Grammy nominations despite no hits. Music/CarrieUnderwood covered "I Told You So" in 2009 and eventually re-released the song as a duet with him, bringing him into the Top 10 one last time. The success also dovetailed into his 2009 greatest-hits package ''I Told You So: The Ultimate Hits of Randy Travis''.

Although Randy was a little more sporadic on the charts come the mid-1990s, he was still a consistent seller of albums. His first release of TheNineties, "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" (from 1989's ''No Holdin' Back''), was his longest-lasting chart-topper. After that, however, his career started to run hot and cold: the duets album ''Heroes & Friends'' in 1991 was met with tepid critical and radio reception despite going platinum and becoming his last #1 album. ''High Lonesome'' had a lead single ("Point of Light") which was written for UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush's "Thousand Points of Light" program, followed by three consecutive cuts that Randy co-wrote while touring with then-rising star Music/AlanJackson, including the #1 hit "Forever Together" (the two also wrote Alan's #1 hit "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)"). After two out of three cuts from a GreatestHitsAlbum also went to #1, Randy hit another speed bump in 1993 when ''Wind in the Wire'', an album of cowboy songs for a TV movie of the same name, failed to send either of its cut into the Top 40. He bounced back for four more hits off 1994's ''This Is Me'', including the #1 "Whisper My Name", but the singles off 1996's ''Full Circle'' bombed and he exited the label.

* UncommonTime: The verse to "If I Didn't Have You" use two bars of 2/2, one bar of 1/2 and another bar of 2/2, basically making each line in 7/2 time.

Travis suffered a CreatorBreakdown in the late 2000s that culminated in a series of drunken antics. He later suffered a major stroke, but recovered in time to cut two covers albums: ''Influence, Vol. 1: The Man I Am'' and a second volume.

Although Randy was a little more sporadic on the charts come the mid-1990s, he was still a consistent seller of albums. His first release of TheNineties, "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" (from 1989's ''No Holdin' Back''), was his longest-lasting chart-topper. After that, however, his career started to run hot and cold: ''Heroes & Friends'' was met with tepid critical and radio reception despite going platinum and becoming his last #1 album. ''High Lonesome'' had a lead single ("Point of Light") which was written for UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush's "Thousand Points of Light" program followed by three consecutive cuts that Randy co-wrote while touring with then-rising star Music/AlanJackson, including the #1 hit "Forever Together" (the two also wrote Alan's #1 hit "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)"). After two out of three cuts from a GreatestHitsAlbum also went to #1, Randy hit another speed bump in 1993 when ''Wind in the Wire'', an album of cowboy songs for a TV movie of the same name, failed to send either of its cut into the Top 40. He bounced back for four more hits off 1994's ''This Is Me'', including the #1 "Whisper My Name", but the singles off 1996's ''Full Circle'' bombed and he exited the label.

Travis then moved to Creator/DreamWorks Records for two more albums: ''You and You Alone'' had three Top 10 hits, while ''A Man Ain't Made of Stone'' also underperformed. At this point, Travis repositioned himself as a gospel artist at this point, signing to Christian label Word Records for a string of five albums released between 2001 and 2005. Among the few releases from said albums, only "Three Wooden Crosses" was the only one that got any attention from radio, becoming his last #1 hit to date. Returning to both traditional country and Warner Bros. in 2008, he put out ''Around the Bend'', which got a couple Grammy nominations despite no hits. Music/CarrieUnderwood covered "I Told You So" in 2009 and eventually re-released the song as a duet with him, bringing him into the Top 10 one last time. The success also dovetailed into his 2009 greatest-hits package ''I Told You So: The Ultimate Hits of Randy Travis''.

Although Randy was a little more sporadic on the charts come the mid-1990s, he was still a consistent seller of albums. His first release of TheNineties, "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" (from 1989's ''No Holdin' Back''), was his longest-lasting chart-topper. After that, however, his career started to run hot and cold: ''Heroes & Friends'' was met with tepid critical and radio reception despite going platinum and becoming his last #1 album. "'High Lonesome'' had a lead single ("Point of Light") which was written for UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush's "Thousand Points of Light" program followed by three consecutive cuts that Randy co-wrote while touring with then-rising star Music/AlanJackson, including the #1 hit "Forever Together" (the two also wrote Alan's #1 hit "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)"). After two out of three cuts from a GreatestHitsAlbum also went to #1, Randy hit another speed bump in 1993 when ''Wind in the Wire'', an album of cowboy songs for a TV movie of the same name, failed to send either of its cut into the Top 40. He bounced back for four more hits off 1994's ''This Is Me'', including the #1 "Whisper My Name", but the singles off 1996's ''Full Circle'' bombed and he exited the label.

Influential CountryMusic singer of the 1980s and 1990s. Born Randy Bruce Traywick, he didn't break into the scene instantly: a deal with Paula Records in 1978 produced only two dud singles. Three years later, he released a live album as Randy Ray, but it wasn't until 1985 that he signed a contract with Creator/WarnerBrosRecords, this time as Randy Travis. Even this wasn't an instant success, as his first Warner single, "On the Other Hand," stalled at #67 on the country charts. However, he had a Top 10 hit with "1982" only a year later, and then persuaded the label to re-release "On the Other Hand." Despite this unorthodox move, that song went on to become his first #1 hit. Of his next twelve singles, all but two went to #1 on the country charts.

Although Randy was a little more sporadic on the charts come the mid-1990s, he was still a consistent seller of albums. Even a switch from Warner Bros. to Creator/DreamWorks Records in 1997 kept him going for a couple more years until 2000, when he switched from his traditional, hardcore, honky-tonk sound to country-gospel.

Travis suffered a CreatorBreakdown in the late 2000s that culminated in a series of drunken antics. He later suffered a major stroke, from which he is successfully recovering as of January 2014.

* VocalEvolution: On the songs he did as Randy Traywick in the 70s, he had a more swaggering voice like Music/WaylonJennings. By the time he signed to Warner, his voice became smoother and more reedy. It happened again in the late 90s-early 2000s when he started sounding older and more weathered.

* HiddenDepths: "The Box" is about a box that the narrator finds, containing sentimental memorabilia from his father, including a poem about his children and a faded leather Bible. The narrator then concludes that "We all thought his heart was made of solid rock / But that was long before we found the box".
* NotSoStoic: "A Man Ain't Made of Stone":
-->I was supposed to be the rock that you could stand on\\

* BLoodStainedLetter: "Three Wooden Crosses" has a blood-stained bible that was given to a hooker by a preacher who was dying from an accident, and which she read to her son, who also became a preacher.

* NotSoStoic: "A Man Ain't Made of Stone".

Influential CountryMusic singer of the 1980s and 1990s. Born Randy Bruce Traywick, he didn't break into the scene instantly: a deal with Paula Records in 1978 produced only two dud singles. Three years later, he released a live album as Randy Ray, but it wasn't until 1985 that he signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records, this time as Randy Travis. Even this wasn't an instant success, as his first Warner single, "On the Other Hand," stalled at #67 on the country charts. However, he had a Top 10 hit with "1982" only a year later, and then persuaded the label to re-release "On the Other Hand." Despite this unorthodox move, that song went on to become his first #1 hit. Of his next twelve singles, all but two went to #1 on the country charts.

Although Randy was a little more sporadic on the charts come the mid-1990s, he was still a consistent seller of albums. Even a switch from Warner Bros. to DreamWorks Records in 1997 kept him going for a couple more years until 2000, when he switched from his traditional, hardcore, honky-tonk sound to country-gospel.