I’m amazed he’s come as far as he has in his recovery, and it doesn’t surprise
me that he’s able to sing the songs he once sang on stage. Once Bobby Vee’s
Alzheimers Disease got bad, he, too, had afasia, meaning he couldn’t verbalize
what he wanted to say, except for the words “I love you,” which would have been
in keeping with his personality. He couldn’t sing his songs or play his guitars
or anything like that eventually. I’m so glad Randy is able to retain at least
some of that.
Linda G.
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Rosemarie Chavarria
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2017 9:10 PM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ourplace] Re: Country stars salute Randy Travis with song in Nashville
Hi, Linda,
I'm glad Randy Travis's voice is slowly coming back. How sad that he had a
near-fatal stroke in 2013.
Rosie
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Linda Gehres
Sent: Thursday, February 9, 2017 8:33 PM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ourplace] Country stars salute Randy Travis with song in Nashville
Country stars salute Randy Travis with song in Nashville
Garth Brooks, Wynonna, Kenny Rogers among stars in attendance
By Kristin M. Hall
The Associated Press, Feb 09, 2017 12:52 PM ET| Last Updated: Feb 09, 2017 12:52
PM ET
A near fatal stroke couldn't take away the signature baritone of country star
Randy Travis, and dozens of his friends, from Garth Brooks to Kenny Rogers, used
their voices and his songs to honour the legend.
Travis watched from the side of the stage Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee, as
country stars from multiple eras sang his classics, from Forever and Ever, Amen
to Three Wooden Crosses.
Performers included Wynonna, Alabama, Chris Young, Travis Tritt and Jeff
Foxworthy.
By the end, he had joined in the celebration by singing Amazing Grace and
leading others in singing May the Circle Be Unbroken.
Travis, whose multiplatinum debut album Storms of Life in 1986 made him a star,
suffered a stroke in 2013 that initially took away his ability to speak or read.
But he's been steadily recovering his voice through rehabilitation, said his
wife Mary Travis.
'Music is his soul. Music is just what he is made of.'
"We sing a lot in the car," she said backstage, beside her husband. "We sing a
lot at home. Music is his soul. Music is just what he is made of."
She said that it's clear that her husband still remembers how to sing and play
the guitar, but the stroke caused a condition called aphasia that makes it
difficult for him to communicate.
"He knows all the words and he can chord every single song with his left hand,"
Mary Travis said.
Travis, who wore a yellow jacket embroidered with flowers, was all smiles as he
watched the performers, who each ended their performances with a hug or a
handshake for the singer.
1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time.: A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy
Travis has been steadily recovering his voice through rehabilitation, said wife
Mary Travis. 'We sing a lot in the car,' she said. 'We sing a lot at home.'
(Laura Roberts/Invision/Associated Press)
Music and laughter aided recovery
The concert was held to raise proceeds for a new foundation set up in his name
to help stroke victims. Travis suffered from a viral infection of the heart and
was in a coma when the stroke occurred. He spent over five months in the
hospital and underwent two brain surgeries, but battled back through years of
rehabilitation.
During his recovery, many of his fellow singers including the Oak Ridge Boys,
Alabama, Josh Turner and Jamey Johnson, would come for visits to sing for him
and pray for him, said Mary Travis.
Tanya Tucker said every time she visited Travis, she saw how far he had come in
his progress.
"Someone told me that I am the only one that really made him laugh, so I would
go in there and tell him every dirty joke I could think of," said Tucker, who
performed I Told You So.
1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time.: A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy
Kenny Rogers was among the celebrity friends who performed at the tribute to
Travis. (Laura Roberts/Invision/Associated Press)
Many artists talked about how Travis opened the door for a neo-traditionalist
wave in country music in the late '80s with his unmistakable voice.
"The bottom end of his voice is so wonderful," said Rogers, who sang his classic
The Gambler, for Travis.
"Most people sing well in the middle of their range, but he got down in the
bottom of his range and would just hold it. I never heard anything like that."
Onstage, Brooks declared: "There isn't anybody in country music today that
doesn't owe their career to Randy Travis," He added: "I am one of those guys,
man."
At the end of a rousing version of Forever and Ever, Amen, Brooks ran over to
Travis to hold the microphone so Travis could sing a soft, but still deep Amen.
