3 Unheard Randy Travis Songs Accompany ‘Storms of Life’ Reissue
June 2nd marked the 35th Anniversary of the release of the legendary debut album from Randy Travis, Storms of Life. Given credit for righting the country music ship in 1986 with its neotraditional sound while propelling Randy Travis to superstardom, it’s arguably one of the most important albums in country music history.
So to celebrate the milestone, Warner Music Nashville will be reissuing the album first released in 1986 in a fully remastered 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition on September 24th. Even more importantly, the reissue will include three previously-unreleased recordings from Randy Travis. This would be newsworthy from any country legend. But in the case of Randy Travis, it’s even more significant seeing how a stroke in 2013 took his Hall of Fame voice away from us too early.
“I love the timeless lyrics and the traditional country instruments, like steel guitar, banjo, piano, fiddle,” Travis says about the album. “It was music I believed in, that told a story I wanted to share. We were fortunate to have a large catalog of songs to choose from that were more traditional. At the time, people and radio really weren’t playing this kind of music. Most people were recording more of an urban cowboy sound, so I got to choose from the best of the best, cream of the crop. It was exciting for all of us to get back to our roots.”
Produced by Kyle Lehning with help on select songs by Keith Stegall, Storms of Life went onto go triple Platinum, and win the ACM award for Album of the Year in 1986. “On The Other Hand” from the album also won the ACM award for Song of the Year.
The unreleased songs on the new deluxe edition are called “Ain’t No Use,” “Carryin’ Fire,” and “The Wall.” Saving Country Music has painstakingly attempted to find out the songwriters on the unreleased songs, and to confirm if the songs were in fact recorded during the original Storms of Life sessions to no avail, though assurances have been made that this information will be forthcoming.
What we do know is Randy recorded “Ain’t No Use” as the lead song on his debut 1982 live album Randy Ray: Live from the Nashville Palace, and like most of the songs from that album, it was written by Randy Travis himself.
Though this won’t be a new album from Randy Travis, with the unreleased songs, Storms of Life (35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) will be the next best thing. Pre-orders for the album will commence on August 27th.
Storms of Life (35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) Track Listing:
1. “On The Other Hand” (Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz)
2. “The Storms of Life” (Max D. Barnes, Troy Seals)
3. “My Heart Cracked (But It Did Not Break)” (Ronny Scaife, Don Singleton, Phil Thomas)
4. “Diggin’ Up Bones” (Al Gore, Paul Overstreet, Nat Stuckey)
5. “No Place Like Home” (Paul Overstreet)
6. “1982” (Buddy Blackmon, Vip Vipperman)
7. “Send My Body” (Randy Travis)
8. “Messin’ With My Mind” (Joseph Allen, Charlie Williams)
9. “Reasons I Cheat” (Randy Travis)
10. “There’ll Always Be A Honky Tonk Somewhere” (Steve Clark, Johnny MacRae)
– Unreleased Tracks –
“Ain’t No Use” (Randy Travis)
“Carryin’ Fire”
“The Wall”
June 6, 2021 @ 11:07 am
This is one of the greatest country albums of all time and I’m so excited to see new songs. I discovered this album for 5 bucks in Walmart in 2010 and I listened to it over and over again driving to my amusement park job when I was 17. It’s like an old friend and i never get tired of hearing those songs.
June 6, 2021 @ 11:28 am
I love unreleased songs.
Does anyone know who likely has the most unreleased stuff in their catalog??
I’m guessing Alan Jackson because he wrote a lot of his own.
Isn’t true that if an artist doesn’t release their unreleased material (especially if they didn’t write it) that after its “holding period” , another artist could grab it? Unless the artist keeps it on hold for decades which seems unlikely.
June 6, 2021 @ 2:01 pm
Hey Arnold, that’s a great question! Years ago an artist, or more often than not the artist’s producer or A&R department, would put a song on hold, which meant said artist had first dibs to record it. Publishers and other artists would normally honor this deal (but not always).
By the mid ’00s, with the music business crumbling, most publishers took on a ‘pitch it until it’s cut’ mentality. Which meant that if artist A had the song on hold and another artist came along and wanted to cut it, the publisher would give the green light. Better to get a guaranteed cut than wait around for artist A to make up their mind (which happened all the time).
As far as an artist like Alan Jackson, who has no doubt written and recorded many originals that have never been released, he (or his publisher) would need to give permission before any of those songs could be recorded by anyone else. Once a song has been recorded, though, anyone can do a cover version (as long as they follow licensing rules, etc.).
June 6, 2021 @ 4:38 pm
Although it seems you can’t play a song in public without the songwriter/owner’s permission.
During campaign season, Republican politicians always seem to be getting shot down by rock artists who block them from playing the artists’ songs at campaign rallies and such.
Springsteen went after politicians going back to Reagan for playing “Born in the USA”; Tom Petty blocked G.W. Bush and Michele Bachmann and others for playing “I Won’t Back Down”; and everyone from Queen, the Rolling Stones, and Neil Young to Steven Tyler and Rhianna have blocked Trump.
June 6, 2021 @ 11:12 pm
Thanks Jimmy for the insight!!
Not sure if you heard the story about Brett Eldredge’s “Sunday Drive” song? Fantastic story about how he heard that song before he was signed (likely around 2008) & he eventually held onto it for years until his album of last year. I love hearing stories like that. Every song finds its rightful artist!!
June 6, 2021 @ 3:15 pm
1986!! Randy Travis “Storms of Life” Steve Earle “Guitar Town” and Lyle Lovetts first album. Remember buying them all at the PX.
June 9, 2021 @ 3:13 pm
Great year! I got Storms of Life, Guitar Town and Guitars, Cadillacs, that year. Got Lyle’s “Pontiac” the next year and went back and got his debut after that. Exiting time.
June 9, 2021 @ 3:28 pm
I forgot about Dwight! I remember how hard it was to track down that EP when it first came out.
June 6, 2021 @ 6:08 pm
Haggard performed a Red Lane-penned song called “Carrying Fire” on his 1983 album “That’s the Way Love Goes”. Is this Randy’s version, perhaps??
June 8, 2021 @ 7:38 pm
seems would make sense; can’t be a lot of carrying fire, carryin’ fire song thoughts out there, surely, but what do i know
December 27, 2023 @ 7:10 pm
Yep it’s the Haggard tune
https://youtu.be/OhslocIdmDE?si=KXcAj2kha_AvA82L
June 6, 2021 @ 6:17 pm
Still have my original autographed copy of Storms of Life, purchased at the Altamont Fair in 1985. Lib Hatcher was handling the cash and Randy was signing. The show was delayed because Randy’s bus broke down. Old school! 🙂
June 7, 2021 @ 8:39 am
Altamont, Illinois by chance? Keeper for sure!
June 7, 2021 @ 9:52 am
Altamont, NY….near Albany. Great memory for sure!
June 7, 2021 @ 11:41 am
Probably not as eventful as the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Motor Speedway in the summer of ’69.
(That concert has its own Wikipedia page–with good reason.)
June 6, 2021 @ 6:44 pm
I loved 1982.i think although he was great that it was his best song ..And one of his best albums carryin fire was a very good song by merle haggard. It was a song that showed us that merle did not get by just on style . That he really had a voice and highlighted that he could carry a tune .would love to hear randy Travis version of it .
June 6, 2021 @ 6:55 pm
I got this record for Christmas the year it came out along with a lil record player. I was 6.
I’ve been a Randy Travis fan ever since. Unfortunately, I had my record player outside when summer came and I learned a very valuable lesson about vinyl!!
June 6, 2021 @ 11:15 pm
Small point, but as well as being a great album, I’ve always loved the cover. Looks great at the front of the crate where I keep my vinyl.
June 7, 2021 @ 1:47 am
The Randy Travis original album series box, that encompass his first 5 albums, is one of my favorite listenings pleasures, but a reissue that includes 3 unreleased songs; sign me up
June 7, 2021 @ 6:02 am
more great albums for 2021. this is a pleasant surprise. one of the greatest albums ever just got better. great for Randy Travis!!
June 7, 2021 @ 8:55 am
I’m all for the deluxe edition with three unreleased songs, but part of me feels that if there’s enough unreleased material, Warner Bros should just put out a whole album, you know, something like “Randy Travis: The Unheard Songs”
June 7, 2021 @ 8:57 am
I ordered the last copy of storms of life from Amazon and I can’t wait until it gets shipped to my house, I’ve been a fan of randy travis rom the past 30 years, God bless you mr travis
June 7, 2021 @ 11:06 am
Musicians tend to be triggered snowflakes.
June 7, 2021 @ 11:07 am
Delete this comment, Trigger. Wifi went haywire and cut in and out while I was posting. It was supposed to be part of a chain.
June 8, 2021 @ 5:38 am
Guitars Cadillacs was around the same time. Throw in Appetite and Brothers in Arms and that’s a massive chunk of my high school listening. Maybe The Trinity Sessions as well.
June 8, 2021 @ 5:40 am
Also Guitar Town and Lovett, this was supposed to be a reply.
June 8, 2021 @ 7:34 am
My single favorite album of all time!
June 9, 2021 @ 3:28 pm
Ah, the Garth Brooks method of reselling albums. 😀
great album tho’, I have the cassette I got when I was a kid, still.