Randy Travis is returning to original music for the first time in nearly two decades, with a new album in the works and a second track already teased for release.
Travis’ last studio album of original material, Around the Bend, came out in 2008. The country legend’s path back to recording has been long and hard-won — in 2013, he suffered a near-fatal stroke that caused severe damage to the left side of his brain, leaving him with expressive aphasia and requiring long-term use of a wheelchair. The new album, assembled by his longtime producer Kyle Lehning using original recordings sourced from throughout Travis’ career, marks a significant moment in one of country music’s most remarkable comeback stories.
From the Archives to the Airwaves
The project’s first single, “Fish On,” arrived on July 10th. To mark the occasion, Travis and his team scattered fishing bobbers attached to signed Polaroid photographs across Nashville, Tennessee. Travis co-wrote the song with his longtime bus driver and close friend Ron Avis, and described discovering it in the archives as deeply meaningful. Lehning remixed and remastered the recordings to bring the track — and the broader album — to life.
On July 7th, Travis visited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, where he and fellow country artist Alexandra Kay gave patients and their families a special preview of the upcoming recordings. Kay also performed some of Travis’ most celebrated songs, including “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “I Told You So,” and “Deeper Than the Holler.”
A Second Song Surfaces
On Tuesday, August 4th, Travis shared a clip of another vault recording set to appear on the album. The song, titled “I Don’t Care,” carries the classic sound that defined Travis at the height of his career. Travis spoke to the significance of Lehning’s involvement in restoring the material, saying that having his longtime producer do what he does best made bringing the music back to life even more meaningful.
With two songs now public and a full album on the horizon, fans of one of country music’s most enduring voices have every reason to watch this space closely.
