Randy Travis is breaking an nearly 20-year recording silence with an announcement of new original music, made during a visit to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Travis, whose last studio album Around The Bend arrived in 2008, revealed the project this week alongside country artist Alexandra Kay, who performed some of his most celebrated songs — including “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “I Told You So,” and “Deeper Than The Holler” — for patients and their families at the hospital. Speaking through his wife, Mary, Travis said the hospital visit grounded him in his purpose as an artist: “Sharing the love of music for decades with listeners of all ages has been an honor of mine. I feel extremely blessed. Earlier this week, as we announced my new album and played some of the songs for the children and families at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, I was reminded of my reason for doing it.”
A Record Built From the Vault
In 2013, Travis suffered a near-fatal stroke that caused severe left-brain damage, leaving him with expressive aphasia — a condition affecting his ability to speak and sing — and requiring long-term wheelchair use. The new album was made possible through the work of his longtime producer, Kyle Lehning, who remixed and remastered original recordings drawn from across Travis’s career. No title or release date has been announced.
Travis reflected on the emotional weight of sharing those recordings with hospital families: “Gratitude and appreciation welled up as emotions I didn’t expect when stories were shared about a particular song’s impact on their lives. I hope these dusted-off songs from the vault touch folks the same old way.”
First Single Drops Friday — With a Nashville Scavenger Hunt
The album’s lead single, “Fish On,” is set for release on Friday, July 10th. To mark the occasion, Travis and his team plan to hide fishing bobbers attached to signed Polaroid photographs at locations around Nashville, Tennessee. Each bobber will carry a QR code giving fans who find one an exclusive early listen to the track.
With the album title and full release date still to come, the arrival of “Fish On” on July 10th will offer fans their first real taste of where this long-awaited project is headed.
