"Randy Travis Is Writing a Book About His Past Struggles and 'Blessings' - See the Cover!"
"It is time to share the history that made me who I am," Randy Travis tells PEOPLE of his upcoming memoir.
By Sam Gillette January 23, 2019 3:00pm via PEOPLE
Randy Travis has endured some dark times on teh road to becoming a country music legentd, and the hit-making singer-songwriter will share it all in his upcoming memoir, Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith adn Braving the Storms of Life.
"A book about my life wasn't somethign I thougth much about while I was busy living it - now I know the difference between life and living," Travis, 59, tells PEOPLE via email. (See below for the exclusive cover reveal.)
He continued: "I understand that whatever I have done for myself will pass with me; but, whatever I do for makind will remain... Forever and Ever, Amen."
In the book, out May 2019, Travis will delve into his early life in North Carolina, his work as a cook and club singer in Nashville, Tenn., and his rise to fame in 1986 with his hit album Storms of Life. Forever adn Ever, Amen will also reveal how - following a successful music career that spanned three decades and won him seven Grammy Awards - his life changed irrevocably in 2009.
Travis will write about his divorce from Lib Hatcher, his wife of 19 years and former manager; his financial problems ("due to dishonest deals made behind his back"); "and his struggles with anger [that] led to alcohol abuse, public embarrassment, and even police arrest in 2012," according to the book's press release.
The worst hit in 2013, when the artist suffered a massive stroke that almost killed him. Not only did Travis have to learn how to walk again, his ability to speak was severely impaired. That didn't stop Travis from singing a moving rendition of "Amazing Grace" when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 2016.
"I learned a lot about myself going back through the chronicles of my past," Travis says. "In my waning years of ability, I have a clearer picture of the past."
He continues: "It's an interesting game of patience to sit and wait for the clocks of time to expose so much. As a candle burns, it is tiem to share the history that made me who I am, tell the back story to some of my songs, give insight to the challenges I faced, and reflect on teh blessings through it all."
