By Gavin Boyle
Fans chanted Randy Travis’ name as they welcomed to the stage with a standing ovation as he kicked off his “More Life” tour.
“It’s the fans who make these appearances and shows so special, and the reason I keep doing it,” Travis wrote on an Instagram post featuring a video of his wife bringing him onstage. “I’ll be in Kentucky, Indiana, and Missouri next.”
Related: Randy Travis Sings Again With Help of AI: ‘Everything I Prayed For’
Travis suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013 but has never given up the dream to return to performing. In 2024, he released his first single, titled “Where That Came From,” since the stroke through the help of AI.
“By God’s grace and the support of family, friends, fellow artists and fans, I’m able to create the music I so dearly love,” Travis said when the single released. “Working with [longtime producer] Kyle Lehning and Warner Music Nashville again has been so special and nostalgic, and I’m so excited to share my new song ‘Where That Came From’ with you today. Many thanks to my wonderful team and the best fans in the world for putting me back in the saddle again! I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”
The legendary county artist was stunned when he first heard the single and realized that AI could give him his voice back. While many in the industry are resisting the technology, it can be extremely beneficial in the right hands.
“I just didn’t know what to think of it, and, you know, it’s one thing to have an idea, and then it’s another thing to actually hear the result,” Travis’ longtime producer said. “But the main thing was that Randy and Mary [Travis’s wife], when given the opportunity, were positive about giving it a try, and so that’s all I really needed to hear. If they were in into doing it, then I would do everything I could to be helpful.”
“Just the fact that it works was astounding to me,” he continued. “I didn’t know what to expect when I first heard it and…I was stunned when I first heard the playback even though it wasn’t 100% ready to go, but it was impressive.”
The technology is now being employed on the tour as Travis remains unable to sing, but he and his wife provide audiences with background on each song before it is performed by AI.
“Randy and I are both on stage. I give a little bit of background as far as the music, the musicians, Randy, the stroke, a song, the AI, of course,” Travis’s wife, Mary, explained. “Then we show videos of Randy’s historical past, as far as some of his joke-telling, which allows people to see the humor that Randy has. And all the way back to his childhood and working with horses in some of the Westerns that he was in, the funny things along the way.”
It is a miracle that Travis is even alive, let alone able to travel across the country and have the opportunity to provide fans with a concert experience. The “More Life” tour will visit states around the south before it ends on May 23.
Read Next: Randy Travis’ New Song an Answer to 11 Years of Prayer, Wife Says
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