Travis was born in Marshville, North Carolina, the second of six children of Bobbie, a textile factory worker, and Harold Traywick, a horse breeder, turkey farmer, and construction business owner. While growing up, Travis was forced to take guitar lessons by his father and began performing at the age of eight with his brother, Ricky. Travis began drinking at the age of 12, and by 14 was a regular marijuana user, who occasionally dabbled in harder drugs. He often fought with his father and soon dropped out of high school. He became a juvenile delinquent and was arrested for various offenses, including auto theft and burglary.
Harold Traywick entered Randy and Ricky in a talent contest at a nightclub called "Country City, USA" in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the meantime, Ricky, who also had brushes with the law, was sentenced to jail and Randy had to complete the contest alone, but he won anyway. The club's manager, Elizabeth "Lib" Hatcher, took an interest in Travis and gave him a job singing at the club. Travis began focusing on music. He first recorded for Paula Records and released two unsuccessful singles — "She's My Woman" and "Dreamin'". Travis' legal troubles continued and he was due in court for probation violations. Hatcher pleaded with the judge and Travis was released in her custody with the warning that if the judge ever saw him again "he'd better bring his toothbrush, because he would be going to jail for a very long time."
Travis moved in with Hatcher. This put further strain on her already fragile marriage. She eventually left her husband and, in 1982, she and Travis moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Travis was soon turned down by every record label in town. His early demo tapes were criticized by Nashville record executives as being "too country." Hatcher took a job as manager of a nightclub, "The Nashville Palace" and hired Travis as a cook and singer. It was during this time that an unlikely romance began to form between the two; Travis said "I think we discovered how much we needed each other."
Career
In 1982, Travis recorded an independent album Randy Ray Live and Lib Hatcher used it to secure a deal with Warner Bros. Records. However, the label said they had to keep their romance a secret, so as not to turn away fans, and changed his stage name from Randy Ray to Randy Travis. In 1985, Warner Brothers released Travis' single, "On the Other Hand," which topped out at 67 on the country charts. His next single, "1982", became a Top 10 hit followed by the re-release of "On the Other Hand" in 1986. The re-release became Travis' first number one hit.
His debut album, Storms of Life, went on to sell more than 4 million copies. In the late 1980s, he had a string of hits, including "No Place Like Home" and "Diggin' Up Bones." A song from his second Warner Brothers album "Always and Forever" titled "Forever and Ever, Amen" arguably launched the neo-traditionalist country era, boosting the popularity of country music beyond its traditional fan base. For two years in a row, Travis won the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, for the albums Always & Forever in 1988, and for Old 8x10 in 1989. Off the success of his first two albums, Old 8x10 shipped platinum. Always and Forever was number one for 43 weeks.
Travis and Hatcher married in 1991. That year Travis took part in Voices That Care, a multi-artist project that featured other top names in music for a one-off single to raise money for the allied troops in the Gulf War. The project included fellow singers Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers and Kathy Mattea. By 1992, Travis was no longer charting high, as Brooks, Clint Black and others had taken over Nashville. He took a break from music to concentrate on acting and landed roles in several Western-genre films. He returned to recording with the 1994 album This Is Me and the hit single "Whisper My Name."
In 1997, Travis parted ways with Warner Brothers. He moved to DreamWorks Nashville and recorded You and You Alone, which produced the top 10 hits "Out of My Bones" and "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man." These were followed by 2000's albums Inspirational Journey, 2002's Rise and Shine and 2003's Worship and Faith. The single "Three Wooden Crosses" from the Rise and Shine album reached No. 1 and won the CMA song of the year in 2003. That same year, Travis ranked #13 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music. Travis continues to act in film and television; he appeared on the series finale of Touched by an Angel. His second most recent album, Passing Through, was released in November of 2004. It combines the country music of his earlier years, with a little gospel mixed in from more recent albums. After the release of "Glory Train" in 2005 and the Christmas album "Songs of the Season" in 2007, Travis released his brand new single "Faith In You" as a free download from his official website. It heralds the projected summer [2008] release of his forthcoming album, "Around the Bend". Along with the release of the free single, RandyTravis.com has also underwent a complete overhaul, with opportunities for fans to create blogs and join an upcoming official fan club. The new sleek look of the website has attracted throngs of fans. Contributor Anthony Maurizio has recently produced the Digging Up Bones blog series on the website, which has increased website traffic and is considered one of the most esteemed country music articles available for reading.
When Mama Prayed
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He said that's one thing I'll never do
But mama never gave up she said one day
He'll be sitting here beside of me and you
I can still hear mama softly talking
With her tears falling on her folded hands
So that Easter Sunday Daddy walked in
That's when I began to understand
When mama prayed, good things happen
When mama prayed, lives were changed
Not much more than five foot tall
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
When mama prayed
Seventeen and wild I hit the bottle
Doing anything I dang well please
Burning down life's highway at full throttle
While mama burned a candle on her knees
Then one night I came home half sober
I saw mama kneeling in the den
As I listened she and Jesus talked it over
And I knew my restless days were 'bout to end
When mama prayed, good things happen
When mama prayed, lives were changed
Not much more than five foot tall
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
When mama prayed
It isn't like every one of them got answered
But the times they weren't it seems to me were rare
You almost felt sorry for the devil
'Cause heaven knows he didn't have a prayer
When mama prayed
Not much more than five foot tall
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
When mama prayed
They crumbled all away
When mama prayed
In Randy Travis's song "When Mama Prayed," the singer reflects on his mother's steadfast faith and the transformative power of her prayers. Despite his father's aversion to church and his own wild ways, the mother never gave up on her loved ones and continually sought divine intervention. The first verse explains how the singer's father would not attend church, but through his mother's prayers, he converted and began attending on Easter Sunday. The second verse presents the singer as a teenager who was prone to drinking and indulging in reckless behavior. Meanwhile, his mother prayed for him, and her prayers inevitably led him to sobriety and change. The chorus emphasizes the power of prayer, suggesting that when the mother prayed, good things happened and mountains big and small crumbled away.
Line by Line Meaning
Daddy never went to church on Sunday
My father refused to attend church on Sundays
He said that's one thing I'll never do
My father claimed that he would never attend church
But mama never gave up she said one day
My mother never stopped believing that my father would change
He'll be sitting here beside of me and you
She hoped my father would join us in church on Sundays someday
I can still hear mama softly talking
I can still hear my mother talking in a gentle voice
With her tears falling on her folded hands
Tears rolling down her face while her hands were clasped together in prayer
So that Easter Sunday Daddy walked in
Then one Sunday for Easter, my father finally walked in with us
That's when I began to understand
I started realizing the power of my mother's prayer
When mama prayed, good things happen
My mother's prayer had the power to bring about positive change
When mama prayed, lives were changed
Her prayer touched and transformed many lives
Not much more than five foot tall
Despite her small stature
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
She had the ability to overcome any obstacle
Seventeen and wild I hit the bottle
At the age of seventeen, I started drinking heavily
Doing anything I dang well please
I was reckless and did whatever I wanted
Burning down life's highway at full throttle
I was living my life at full speed, without care
While mama burned a candle on her knees
Meanwhile, my mother was praying fervently
Then one night I came home half sober
One night, I returned home partially sober
I saw mama kneeling in the den
I saw my mother praying in our living room
As I listened she and Jesus talked it over
I overheard my mother conversing with Jesus in prayer
And I knew my restless days were 'bout to end
I knew that my mother's prayer would end my restless behavior
It isn't like every one of them got answered
Not all of her prayers were answered
But the times they weren't it seems to me were rare
However, it was rare for her prayers to go unanswered
You almost felt sorry for the devil
The power of my mother's prayer was so great that even the devil would pity himself
'Cause heaven knows he didn't have a prayer
Heavenly strength was against even the devil
Not much more than five foot tall
She was a small woman with a big heart and spirit
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
Regardless of the size of the challenge or obstacle, she had the strength to overcome it
When mama prayed
Her prayers had a transformative impact
They crumbled all away
These obstacles were eliminated and overcome
When mama prayed
Her prayers had a transformative impact
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: PAUL LESTER OVERSTREET, RORY LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind