Seven years ago, one of the best to ever do it became a Hall of Famer.
Randy Travis is, without a doubt, one of the most influential artists in country music… hands down a living legend.
With seven Grammy Awards, ten ACM Awards, two People’s Choice Awards, three CMA Song of the Year honors, and over 25 million in sales, the proof is in the pudding of how influential Randy Travis’ work is to the genre.
Garth Brooks said it best during Travis’ Country Music Hall Of Fame induction ceremony:
“Name me any artist from any genre in the history of all music that took a format, turned it 180 degrees, back to where it came from, and made it bigger than it has ever been before.”
After being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1986 and given his own Hollywood Walk Of Fame star in 2004, there were only a few accolades left in the book for him to collect, one of which was being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 2016, that dream came true when he became a member of the esteemed community.
However, Travis’ life-changing stroke occurred before he was inducted, three years prior. While his determination did not slow his presence in the country music community, it drastically changed his ability to perform.
After extensive therapy to regain his voice, Travis gave the best gift to those attending his induction ceremony with a sing-along performance of “Amazing Grace.”
After his wife, Mary Davis, spoke to the crowd about the miracle of his stroke recovery, making the crowd teary-eyed.
“Randy stared death in the face, but death blinked. Today, God’s proof of a miracle stands before you…”
To add to the waterworks, Travis then takes to the mic. Mary leans into him, telling him Garth Brooks will help him, as he begins to sing “Amazing Grace.”
The crowd immediately jumped in to join along in the song.
“Amazing Grace” is a song that is near and dear to Travis as he has performed it at many of his milestones over the years, even including a studio recording of the track on his 2000 album, Inspirational Journey.
As he has inspired the journey of many other artists, this song was the perfect choice to note another milestone in his career. While many artists hope and dream to achieve half of Randy Travis’s accolades, his place in the Hall of Fame is more than deserved.
With all of the hard work, all of the years in the industry, and all of the artists he has influenced and continues to influence…Randy Travis is unlike any other.
Let’s take it back to Randy Travis singing “Amazing Grace” as George Jones’ funeral in 2013:
