Randy Travis Previews New Album of Unreleased Songs

It’s been a long time coming and has been rumored for many years now. But we’re finally hearing the first of archived music from country music legend Randy Travis, recorded before he suffered his stroke in 2013 and lost his ability to sing.

Ever since his devastating stroke, there’s been efforts to make sure Randy’s music and legacy don’t go forgotten, even if his Hall of Fame voice is no longer able to grace audiences. He was one of the very first artists to test out using AI—an experiment it appears they decided to move on from, at least for now.

But as we’ve seen with so many artists lately including Waylon Jennings, Gary Stewart, and Don Williams, singers always leave an archive of recorded songs behind them, often left over from recording sessions for albums that didn’t make it on the track list for one reason or another. Now it’s Randy’s turn to delve into the archive, and see if any gold can be found.

On July 8th, word came down that Randy was prepping the release of his first album in 18 years with long-time producer Kyle Lehning, compiling “lost” songs and making them release ready. On Tuesday, July 7th, Travis gave a preview of the currently unnamed project to patients and their families at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. No release date has been announced, but it was revealed at the time that the first song from the project called “Fish On” would be forthcoming on Friday (7-10).

“I wrote this song with my longtime bus driver and dear friend Ron Avis, and it’s incredibly special to me that it’s been found in the archives,” Travis said with help from his wife Mary.

“Having my longtime producer, Kyle Lehning, do what he does best has made bringing it back to life even more meaningful. I’ve always loved fishing and country music, and being able to share this song so many years later means a great deal to me. There’s just no getting over the joy of sharing music with the people who’ve supported me through the years. It’s been an honor to share the love of country music with listeners of all ages for so many decades, and I feel truly blessed.”

“Fish On” is a feel good, good time ditty for the summer. It probably won’t compete for anyone’s Song of the Year, but it is good to finally hear an archived song from Randy Travis after years of hints and promises that unheard material was on the way. Now we wait for final confirmation of a title, track list, and release date for the archive album, and what hopefully will be another important chapter in the Randy Travis story.