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Randy Travis Stuns Hall of Fame Crowd by Singing 'Amazing Grace' 3 Years After Stroke
Three years after a stroke threatened to silence his legendary voice, country singer Randy Travis brought the audience at Sunday's Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony to tears by leading a sing-along rendition of "Amazing Grace."
Travis, 57, sang again during the medallion ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., where he was inducted along with fiddler Charlie Daniels and record producer Fred Foster.
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Travis' return to music was a highlight of the night, and his wife, Mary Davis-Travis, also spoke about her husband's battle to heal after a viral infection caused a stroke that left him hospitalized. "Randy stared death in the face, but death blinked," she said. "Today, God's proof of a miracle stands before you."
The country crooner was honored for being the first country artist to have a debut album, Storms of Life, go platinum in its first year, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with fiddler Charlie Daniels and record producer Fred Foster. Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley and Garth Brooks were among those who honored the inductees with musical tributes.
Randy Travis' Wife Mary Helps Him Speak at Country Music Hall of Fame Induction Announcement.
RICK DIAMOND/GETTY
Davis-Travis told how she and and her husband still sing to each other every day. “It’s a special thing to hear Randy Travis sing, I think – don’t you agree?” The audience greeted her words with bittersweet applause, hardly anticipating what she would say next: “Ladies and gentlemen, heroes and friends, today I want to give back to you the voice of Randy Travis.”
An audible gasp filled the room as Travis moved toward the microphone with a broad smile, and he began to sing. Brooks, still on stage, steadied himself and tipped back his head, surely to keep tears from rolling down his cheeks. The lyrics weren’t crisp. The melody was unsteady. But the sound was clearly, unmistakably Randy Travis.
When he finished the final note, one more precious time, a deafening ovation greeted one of country music’s greatest voices
