Smiling steadily and looking in generally good health, Randy Travis came with his wife Mary to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum on Wednesday (Sept. 4) to witness the announcement of The Music of Randy Travis Tour, which will run from Oct. 16 through Nov. 2.
Travis has not been able to perform since his near-fatal stroke in 2013 and speaks only haltingly. He and his wife held hands throughout the event, first standing together at a lectern for the announcement and then sitting together as the assembled reporters asked questions of Mrs. Travis and singer James Dupré, who will perform all 16 of Travis’ No. 1 hits at each of the 12 stops on the tour.
Dupré will be accompanied by the original members of Travis’ road band, and the Travises will do a meet-and-greet at each venue.
Accompanying himself of acoustic guitar, Dupré sang “Diggin’ Up Bones,” Travis’ chart-topper from 1986. He said he first heard and was attracted to Travis’ voice while watching CMT when he was 7 or 8 years old.
As Dupré sang, Travis could be seen occasionally tapping his left foot to the music. Dupré played Travis’s son in the 2015 movie, The Price.
Mrs. Travis said her husband had “a hard time” listening to his music after the stroke but eventually came to enjoy it again. “I think he’s wide open [now] to people covering his music,” she said. The prospect of being on the road again is invigorating for Travis, she said, adding that, “The fans energize him and the music energizes him.”
Dupré got his start in music posting covers of songs on YouTube. He was subsequently signed to a recording deal with Warner Music and was a finalist on Season 9 of The Voice.
The Music of Randy Travis Tour will play these cities: Indianapolis (Oct. 16); Evansville, Indiana (Oct. 17); Macon, Georgia (Oct. 18); Gulfport, Mississippi (Oct. 19); Augusta, Georgia (Oct. 23), Spartanburg, South Carolina (Oct. 24); Knoxville, Tennessee (Oct. 25); North Little Rock, Arkansas (Oct. 26); Nashville, Tennessee (Oct. 28); Atlanta, Georgia (Oct. 29); Minneapolis (Nov. 1); and Green Bay, Wisconsin (Nov. 2).