Known as “the leader of the new traditionalists,” Randy Travis is frequently credited with changing the course of country music in 1986 by recording songs reminiscent of those from the 1940s and 1950s. Randy Bruce Traywick grew up in Marshville, North Carolina, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016. By then, his musical career was over. In 2013, he’d experienced viral cardiomyopathy that resulted in a stroke, leaving him with paralysis and aphasia. Garth Brooks once said, “There isn’t anybody in country music today or in the last twenty years that doesn’t owe their career to Randy Travis.”
DIANE DIEKMAN TALKS WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS:
Q: Why did you decide to write this book?
I wanted to write a third country music biography after finishing the ones on Faron Young and Marty Robbins. This time, I wanted it to be a living person with a story that could create a best seller. I chose Randy Travis as one of my favorite singers and someone whose music I never tired of hearing.
Q: What is the most interesting discovery you made while researching and writing your book?
I was thrilled to meet Mary and Randy Travis and to spend several days as a guest at their ranch. They are fun people and excellent hosts.
Q: What myths do you hope your book will dispel or what do you hope your book will help readers unlearn?
Randy received much negative publicity as the result of several alcohol-related arrests, as well as erroneous assumptions on what caused his stroke in 2013. This book will accurately portray those events.
Q: Which part of the publishing process did you find the most interesting?
Most exciting was receiving that first box of books in the mail! Most interesting was going through the copy-edit version of the manuscript. I appreciated the feedback and the opportunity to make changes for improvement.
Q: What is your advice to scholars/authors who want to take on a similar project?
Begin building a timeline of the person’s life as soon as you choose a biography subject. Throughout the entire process, add every date you can find. When the manuscript is complete, before sending it to the publisher, I encourage the author to read the entire document aloud—every word. You’d be surprised how many errors and changes you find. I read the whole Travis manuscript out loud before each submission.
Order: Randy Travis: Storms of Life
To order an autographed copy of Randy Travis: Storms of Life, send an email to: di***@**********an.com