Randy Travis

A pivotal figure in country music with 16 Number 1s in the US country charts, Randy Travis first struck it big in the mid-1980s when his album Storms Of Life established him as a major star, selling over 4 million copies. He later diversified into acting and when the country hits started drying up in the 1990s, he switched to gospel music. The son of a horse breeder in North Carolina, Travis was given guitar lessons as a small child and first began performing with his brother Ricky when he was only eight. But he also had a wild side and, falling out with his father, he went off the rails for a while and was arrested for a string of offences, including car theft and burglary. Winning a talent contest in Charlotte, North Carolina, he got a regular spot singing at a local night club and, after releasing two unsuccessful singles She's My Woman and Dreamin', moved to Nashville. In 1982 Travis released his debut album Live At The Nashville Palace and got a major label deal with Warner Brothers on the back of it, getting his first hit with the song 1982. The Storms Of Life album in 1986 triggered a string of hits like No Place Like Home and Diggin' Up Bones and he continued to turn out country hits through the rest of the decade. He turned to acting in 1992 and focused on gospel music through the 2000s with Inspirational Journey (2000), Rise & Shine (2002) and Worship & Faith (2003). However, in 2008 he returned to mainstream country music with Around The Bend.