When country music star Randy Travis suffered a debilitating stroke — one that doctors initially said he had less than a 1% chance of surviving — he spent several months in the hospital. It marked just the beginning of a path to recovery that continues today, 12 years later.
“People say, ‘How do you get through what you’ve been through?’ Because we were in the hospital for five and a half months, and life changed in an instant — we hit a brick wall doing 100 miles an hour,“ Travis’ wife, Mary Travis, said during a Utah tour stop on Aug. 29.
“And I think it’s safe to say that we get through it with our faith, our family, our friends, and in Randy’s case, his fans,” she continued. “Thank y’all for your prayers, for being there.”
Aphasia resulting from Travis’ stroke in 2013 severely limited his ability to speak and sing. The 66-year-old artist can no longer sing his country hits of the 1980s and ’90s that remain staples today, like “Deeper Than The Holler” and “I Told You So” (which he wrote when he was 19).
But he can still be with fans — and he wants to be with fans.
So with singer James Dupre acting as his voice, Travis is back on the road, mouthing along to the classic songs of his catalog and interacting with his original band members on stage and the fans who shout “We love you, Randy!” from the audience.
“It’s still very much a Randy Travis show,” Dupre previously told the Deseret News.
And that was certainly the case in Salt Lake City.
Randy Travis records new song through AI
Travis got a standing ovation the minute he took the stage — the first of several throughout the nearly two-hour show at Kingsbury Hall.
Thanks to Dupre’s baritone range that bears a resemblance to Travis’ style, fans enjoyed the country star’s greatest hits.
But overall, the show was more about celebrating Travis and his career — and fans in Utah were eager to express their affection.
At one point, Dupre left the stage to allow an audio clip of Travis’ voice to take the spotlight. People began to cheer as the “Forever and Ever, Amen” singer’s smooth voice played throughout the hall.
It marked the first time in the show the audience had heard Travis’ singing voice — but the excitement stemmed more from the fact that this was a new song and not a number from the past.
Thanks to AI software, Travis’ voice shines through in “Where That Came From” — his first new recording in over a decade.
By the time it was over, the Salt Lake City crowd was on their feet.
“Isn’t it wonderful to hear that voice again?” Mary Travis said.
“He doesn’t sing like he used to, but you know what, that’s OK,” she later said. “He left us such a beautiful catalog of music. He’s still making a difference, and speaks volumes in his silence.”
Randy Travis sings the last note
But Travis didn’t leave Salt Lake City without singing at least one note.
As Dupre concluded the show with “Forever and Ever, Amen,” he faded away near the end so that Travis could offer up the final “Amen.”
The moment may not have come as a surprise to some fans — a video of Travis doing this earlier this year at the Grand Ole Opry went viral.
That didn’t make it any less special in Salt Lake City.
The last song of the night, Travis’ final note, had just about everyone at Kingsbury Hall out of their seats.
“People are crying, people are laughing,” Dupre previously told the Deseret News. “It’s a highly emotional show, a lot of ups and downs. It’s like watching a live documentary of Randy’s life. It’s incredible to see grown men crying, and the audience during these songs. ... That will never get old to me.”
‘Love the people that you have’
The “More Life” tour gives Travis a chance to be out on the road with his friends and his fans years after a stroke threatened to end it all.
While it honors Travis’ career and music, the show has also become a way for Randy and Mary Travis to share their shift in perspective that came with the extension on life.
“There’s so many wonderful people in our lives. Just remember there’s 1,440 minutes in a day. Take a lot of those minutes and love the people that you have while you have them, ’cause they’re all a blessing, they’re all a gift from God,” Mary Travis said near the end of the show. ”And if you have some extra minutes, then pass a smile on to a stranger and change their day, too.”
For Dupre, who sings Travis’ songs night after night, the tour has given him the opportunity to develop a friendship with — and respect for — the country artist whose music he grew up listening to as a kid in Louisiana.
“He is just resilient,” Dupré previously told the Deseret News. “I don’t know how he does it. He just continues to have a big smile on his face, and he does not want to sit around and stay still, or stay at home. He still wants to get out and see his fans. ... He’s still out there doing his thing. And I think that’s just incredible.”