Randy Travis是新传统主义(New TraditionalCountry)的代表人物，格莱美最佳乡村男歌手。Randy Travis生于1959年5月4日，是家中六个孩子中的老二。他的父亲Harold 饲养火鸡、马匹，经营着家族生意，而他的母亲在一家纺织品工厂工作。Randy的父亲一直希望他成为一名乡村歌手，他的家中充满着Hank Williams和Stonewall Jackson的个人专辑。Harold将西部行头和吉他买给了他的四个儿子。在Randy十岁之前，他和他的兄弟Ricky 组成了二重唱，遍及西部包括小提琴协会、私人派对、VFW大厅以及各处他们可以吸引人群的地方表演。尽管很年轻，Randy带有磁性的嗓音仍然震惊了人群。一种回归到艺术性和音乐性比形象更重要的时代的音乐风格。新传统主义在早期的乡村音乐中找寻灵感，而且是以后颇为大家所知的新乡村音乐Country的先驱。Ricky Skaggs，一个难得的天才受Bill Monroe和Ralph Stanley的启发，他超越了当时所有的艺人。Like the Beatles in rock, Randy Travis marks a generational shift in country music. When his Storms of Life came out in 1986, country music was still wallowing in the post-urban cowboy recession, chasing elusive crossover dreams. Travis brought the music back to its basics, sounding like nothing so much as a perfect blend of George Jones and Merle Haggard. He became the dominant male voice in country until the rise of hat acts like Garth Brooks and Clint Black, releasing seven consecutive number one singles during one stretch. He won the CMAs Horizon Award in 1986 and was the associations Male Vocalist of the Year in 1987 and 1988.Travis (born Randy Bruce Traywick, May 4, 1959, Marshville, NC) was born and raised in North Carolina, in a small town outside of Charlotte. His father encouraged his children to pursue their musical inclinations, as he was a fan of honky tonkers like Hank Williams, Jones, and Lefty Frizzell. Randy began playing guitar at the age of eight, and within two years, he and his brother Ricky formed a duo called the Traywick Brothers. The duo played in local clubs and talent contests.Both of the brothers had a wild streak, which resulted in Ricky going to jail after a car chase and Randy running away to Charlotte at the age of 16. While he was in Charlotte, he won a talent contest at Country City U.S.A., a bar owned by Lib Hatcher. Hatcher was impressed by Travis and offered him a regular gig at her bar, as well as a job as a cook.For several years, he sang and worked at Country City. He still had trouble with the law in his late teens. At his last run-in with the police, the judge told him if he saw Travis again he should be prepared to go to jail for a long time. Travis was released into the care of Hatcher. In a short time, Hatcher became Travis manager, and the pair began to concentrate on his career. Joe Stampley helped Travis land a contract with Paula Records in 1978. The following year, Travis released two singles under his given name; one of them, Shes My Woman, scraped the bottom of the country charts.In 1982, Travis and Hatcher moved to Nashville, where she managed the Nashville Palace nightclub while he sang and cooked. Within a couple of years, the pair independently released his debut album under the name Randy Ray; the record was called Randy Ray Live and sold primarily in the Nashville Palace.Thanks to Hatchers persistent efforts and the Randy Ray Live album, Warner Brothers signed Travis in 1985 and suggested that he change his performing name to Randy Travis. On the Other Hand, his first single for the label, was released in the summer of that year and climbed to number 67. Despite its lackluster performance, radio programmers were enthusiastic for Travis, as evidenced by the number six placing of 1982, which was released late in the year. 1982 was followed by a re-release of On the Other Hand in the spring of 1986. This time, the song hit number one. Storms of Life, Travis full-fledged debut album, was released in the summer of 1986 and became a huge success, eventually selling over three million copies. Travis was the first country artist to go multi-platinum; before his success, most country artists had difficulty achieving gold status. With his mass appeal, he set the stage for country musics crossover success in the early 90s. However, Travis dominated the late 80s. The last two singles from Storms of Life, Diggin Up Bones and No Place Like Home, hit number one and two, respectively. Forever and Ever, Amen — the first single from his second album, 1987s Always & Forever — began a streak of seven straight number one singles that ran through 1989. Always & Forever was more successful than his debut, reaching number 19 on the pop charts and going quadruple platinum; it also earned him the CMAs award for Male Vocalist of the Year. Old 8x10 (1988) and No Holdin Back (1989) werent quite as successful as their predecessors, but they still spawned number one singles and both went platinum. Travis was still at the top of his form in the beginning of the 90s, starting the decade with his biggest hit, Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart. However, his hold at the top of the charts began to slip after Clint Black and, in particular, Garth Brooks. Nevertheless, Travis never fell away completely — his albums continued to gold and he usually could crack the Top Ten. Wind in the Wire, a soundtrack to his television special released in 1992, marked his first unsuccessful album — none of the singles broke the Top 40. This Is Me, released in 1994, was a successful comeback to the top of the charts, featuring Whisper My Name, his first number one hit in two years. In August 1996, Travis released Full Circle, his last album for Warner Brothers. He left the label in 1997, signing with the fledgling super label DreamWorks. His first album for the label, You and You Alone, was released in the spring of 1998; Man Aint Made of Stone followed a year later. Traveling the familiar country route, he released an album of traditional and contemporary religious songs, Inspirational Journey, which hit the stores in late 2000. The album went on to win two awards at The Gospel Music Associations 32nd Annual Dove Awards in 2001; Inspirational Journey took home honors for Country/Bluegrass Album of the Year and Country Recorded Song of the Year for Baptism. Select songs from the album also made their way in the two-part finale for Touched by an Angel, which featured Travis in character. Two years later, Travis continued with his gospel fare with the release of Rise and Shine, followed by the similarly reverent Worship & Faith, Passing Through and Glory Train.