What to Know About Randy Travis’s ‘Texas-Sized’ Texas Heroes & Friends Tribute Concert
Legendary country and folk artist Randy Travis is a music icon, and though he's no longer able to make music after suffering a near-fatal stroke in 2013, he continues to be a powerful figure in the country music scene—one who more than deserves a bit of celebration.
That's why this fall, there will be not one but two massive Heroes & Friends Tributes to Randy Travis will be held to honor his 40-year career. The first will take place in Huntsville, Alabama, while the second, newly announced concert will be held in Grand Prairie, Texas. On Aug. 15, we got to attend a virtual press conference with the legend himself, accompanied by his wife, Mary Travis, to learn all about these upcoming shows and what can be expected. Here's everything we know so far.
The Venues and Tickets
The first of the two new Heroes & Friends Tribute to Randy Travis shows will be held at the Probst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama on Oct. 24, with tickets available HERE.
The second, just-announced show will take place on Nov. 15 at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Mary Travis promised it'd be a "Texas-sized tribute to Randy Travis." Pre-sale tickets are available now, while general tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. CT on axis.com.
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The Shows
The lineups haven't been announced just yet, but the Travises teased that the Alabama show will highlight artists more closely tied to Nashville, while the Texas show will emphasize musicians with deep connections to the Lone Star State. Given Randy's 23 No. 1 singles, there will be no lack of hits for any of Randy's musical heroes and friends to choose from when they hit the stage—and Mary even teased potential duets.
"Even in Randy's silence, he's still making music, and that's by touching lives, touching hearts, making a difference and inspiring those that are coming behind him," Mary shared during the conference.
Though Randy is a North Carolina native, Texas is incredibly close to his heart. In the 2010s, he moved there with his then-girlfriend, now-wife Mary (herself from Texas) and they've lived there ever since. It's also where he's spent his time recovering since his stroke a decade ago.
"Texas kind of is a country song," Mary explained. "We have the cowboys, we have the horses, we have the lassos, we have the guns, we have the neighbors, we have the pretty girls. We have everything there is in Texas that goes into a country song."
A portion of the proceeds from both shows will be donated to the Randy Travis Foundation, dedicated to stroke and aphasia awareness, as well as supporting music education in schools.
"The foundation was formed out of experience, and it's nothing that we would have understood when we started this journey," Mary explained during the conference. "Randy had a massive stroke. He was in a coma for three days before they detected the stroke. We feel like there's a lot of things that need to be understood, a lot of things that need to be changed, so that somebody doesn't have to go through those three days before it's detected, because there are so many great medical miracles that can change one's direction if caught soon enough. The aphasia, which is why Randy can't speak or sing, is from the massive stroke on just the right side of the brain, where all of the speech comes from."
There's no doubt that both shows will be legendary themselves.
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