Randy Releases The Reigns
When James Dupré was about seven years old, he saw a Randy Travis video on CMT. He remembers asking his mom ‘Who is that man?’ Dupré was immediately drawn to his voice and he knew that he wanted to be a singer when he grew up.
With a very successful career that has spanned over 30 years, Randy Travis is one of the first names mentioned when Dupré and other great artists are asked about influences. He has touched so many of his peers, new artists and a countless number of fans.
“Think about it: when is there ever, in any format, an artist that has come on the scene that has turned a format 180 degrees from where it’s heading, back and made it bigger than it ever was? That’s impossible, I’ve only known it to happen once, ever and Travis would be the name I’d stick on it.” Those were the words of Garth Brooks in a recent Rolling Stone article.
It has been six years since Randy had a near-fatal stroke that left the world without his iconic voice. His wife, Mary, said that fans are always asking where they can hear Randy’s songs besides radio, and Randy is ready to get back on the road now.
So, Outback Presents and Conway Entertainment, along with Randy and Mary Travis, are excited to announce The Music Of Randy Travis Tour. It will run through October and into November, hitting 12 cities, including The Ryman in Nashville on October 28th. The show will feature Dupré, singing all of Randy’s 16 number one hit songs. There will be select VIP Packages available with meet and greet opportunities with Randy.
“We have been standing on the distant shore looking back over his career and his music lives on forever. It is something that Randy wants so bad – to be on the road. When we drive from Dallas to Nashville in our car, we’ll see a tour bus and I just know that he yearns to be back on that bus and be with his fans,” says Mary.
Randy is rejoined by his original band of over thirty years. The band can’t wait to be back with “Hoss” again. They are more like a family than a backing band. Mary adds, “He is so at ease and at home with them. There is a long history of love.”
When Randy did movies, he never used stuntmen because he was ‘raised on a horse, with guns in his hands.’ He always insisted on doing his own stunts. “At this point, however, we are just so honored that James will come and serve as his stand-in,” added Mary. “He delivers music with the same depth, devotion and demeanor as Randy does.”.
How did Mt. Juliet’s own James Dupré land the role of Randy Travis’ voice on this tour?
Randy and James first met on the movie set for The Price. Mary told us, “Randy sees him and says ‘Hey James, Let’s play some music.’ James became just like our son.”
“I started putting cover videos up on youtube over ten years ago. I have a few of Randy’s songs that I covered to karaoke tracks. Had I known that he’d eventually see those, I would have probably dressed better and picked up the clothes off the floor,” laughed Dupré.
For more on James and his relationship with Randy and Mary, see our article in the April/May issue of our magazine. It is available on our website.
