Randy Travis surprised the performers at Monday night’s (March 5) Song Suffragettes show in Nashville, dropping in to hear original songs from the all-female collective.
The Country Music Hall of Famer sat and watched as five rising female singers and songwriters performed original songs, then tributing Travis’ music. The 58-year-old sat with his wife, Mary, and his publicist as Kalie Shorr, Karla Davis, Katelyn Clampett, Kaylin Roberson and Makayla Lynn played.
It’s not clear how much his presence made them nervous — they didn’t point him out until the end of the set. If anything, they seemed to up their game on this Monday night. Davis cracked the crowd up prior to and during a song called “When I Was a Cowboy” (who knew “mouth horn” was a thing?), then nearly bringing the place to tears with the sweet love story behind “You Can’t Have It All.”
Lynn, 16, quickly proved age is just a number as she held the audience in her hand, telling a sparse heartbreak story that included this wise hook: “You can’t love somebody with a halfway heart.“
Travis nodded with approval when Shorr announced she’ll be making her Grand Ole Opry debut later this month before going into her hit song, “Fight Like a Girl.” Clampett showed off true emotional understanding with “When Your Friends Get Boyfriends” and “The Trouble With the Truth,” and Roberson closed the show with a very vulnerable performance of an original called “Keep on Keepin’ On.”
Travis has not been able to record or perform since his July 2013 stroke, but in recent months he’s taken a great interest in the next generation, appearing in audiences to see newcomers like Kane Brown or Scotty McCreery. He amplified his interest on Monday by announcing Diggin’ Up Songs, a Travis-curated new music spotlight rolling out on Spotify, Twitter and Facebook. The first batch includes selections from Brown, Brett Eldredge, Walker Hayes, Luke Combs and Lauren Alaina, and a press release promises he’ll announce additions every two weeks.
After the show at the Listening Room, Travis greeted fans and took a few photos with the five Song Suffragettes performers. He smiled often, clearly enjoying time with fans and appreciating the kind words being said about him. The group closed the show with an all-call cover of his hit song “Forever and Ever, Amen.”
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