Carrie Underwood took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House to perform a Randy Travis tribute that brought the audience to tears.
Underwood’s performance on Wednesday night came as a part of the star-studded three-hour concert special “Opry 100: A Live Celebration,” which was broadcast on NBC live from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.
Underwood began her tribute to Travis by telling a story of listening to her sister’s Randy Travis cassette tape as a young girl — a tape that she said she would never give back to her sister.
Little did Underwood know that Travis would invite her to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008.
Five years later, Travis suffered a near-fatal stroke that left him largely unable to sing.
On the Opry stage, Underwood performed her two favorite Travis songs, “Three Wooden Crosses” and “Forever and Ever Amen.”
Underwood ended the last song by stepping off the stage and greeting Travis, who was seated in the front row.
She held the mic out and let Travis sing the song’s final word… “amen,” which he did with a glowing smile.
The house was moved to tears by Travis’ assist on the song and its power.
Randy Travis health: Singer announces tour amid aphasia
Travis appeared at the Opry earlier this month on March 5 as a part of the Opry 100 series to make a special announcement and celebrate the anniversary of his Opry debut in 1986.
Travis took the stage with Clay Walker, the country artist who will be playing him in an upcoming biopic, and announced that he would be going on tour after 12 years of recovery.
“Randy Travis is thrilled to announce over 30 new shows nationwide for The More Life Tour featuring his original band and special guest vocalist @JamesDupre,” he said on social media.
“There’s no gift greater than More Life.”
The stroke Travis suffered in 2013 was a complication of congestive heart failure that has left him primarily wheelchair-bound.
He developed aphasia in recovery, a condition that affects one’s ability to communicate, and has trouble speaking and singing to this day.
While Travis relies heavily on his wife to help communicate in interviews, he was able to release a new song in 2024, “Where That Came From,” with the assistance of AI.
On tour, Travis will be assisted by vocalist James Dupre, whose vocals also helped to inform Travis’ 2024 song.
Audrey Gibbs is a music journalist with The Tennessean. You can reach her at [email protected].
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