Travis Tritt

James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country singer, songwriter, and actor.

Seven of his albums (counting the Greatest Hits) are certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America; the highest-certified is 1991's It's All About to Change, which is certified triple-platinum. Tritt has also charted more than forty times on the Hot Country Songs charts, including five number ones—"Help Me Hold On", "Anymore", "Can I Trust You with My Heart", "Foolish Pride", and "Best of Intentions"—and fifteen additional top-ten singles. Tritt's musical style is defined by mainstream country and Southern rock influences.

He has received two Grammy Awards, both for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, in 1992 for "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", a duet with Marty Stuart, and again in 1998 for "Same Old Train", a collaboration with Stuart and nine other artists. He has received four awards from the Country Music Association and has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1992.

Early life James Travis Tritt was born on February 9, 1963, in Marietta, Georgia, to James and Gwen Tritt. He first took interest in singing after his church's Sunday school choir performed "Everything Is Beautiful". He received his first guitar at age eight and taught himself how to play it; in the fourth grade, he performed "Annie's Song" and "King of the Road" for his class and was later invited to play for other classrooms in his school. When he was 14, his parents bought him another guitar, and he learned more songs from his uncle, Sam Lockhart. Later, Tritt joined his church band, which occasionally performed at nearby churches.

Tritt began writing music while he was attending Sprayberry High School; his first song composition, entitled "Spend a Little Time", was written about a girlfriend with whom he had broken up. He performed the song for his friends, one of whom complimented him on his songwriting skills. He also founded a bluegrass group with some of his friends and won second place in a local tournament for playing "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys".

During his adolescence, Tritt worked at a furniture store and later as a supermarket clerk. He lived with his mother after his father and she divorced; they remarried when he was 18. He worked at an air conditioning company while playing in clubs, but left the air conditioning job at the suggestion of one of his bandmates. Tritt's father thought that he would not find success as a musician, while his mother thought that he should perform Christian music instead of country. Davenport sent the demo to Warner Bros. representatives in Los Angeles, who in turn sent it to their Nashville division, which signed Tritt in 1987. Davenport also helped Tritt find a talent manager, Ken Kragen. At first, Kragen was not interested in taking an "entry-level act", but decided to sign on as Tritt's manager after Kragen's wife convinced him.

Musical career

1989–1991: Country Club Tritt's contract with Warner Bros. meant that he was signed to record six songs, and three of them were to be released as singles. According to the contract, he would not be signed on for a full album unless one of the three singles became a hit. His first single was "Country Club". Recorded in late 1988 and released on August 7, 1989, the song spent 26 weeks on the Hot Country Singles and Tracks charts, peaking at number nine. It was the title track to his 1990 debut album Country Club, produced by Gregg Brown. The month of its release, Tritt burst a blood vessel on his vocal cords, and had to take vocal rest for a month. "I'm Gonna Be Somebody" also went to number one on the U.S. country singles charts published by Radio & Records. In 1990, he won the Top New Male Artist award from Billboard. The Country Music Association (CMA) also nominated him for the Horizon Award (now known as the New Artist Award),

Brian Mansfield of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, saying, "Put Some Drive in Your Country" paid homage to Tritt's influences, but that the other singles were more radio-friendly. Giving the album a B-minus, Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly compared Tritt's music to that of Hank Williams, Jr. and Joe Stampley.

1991–1992: It's All About to Change In 1991, Tritt received a second Horizon Award nomination, which he won that year.

Stuart offered "The Whiskey Ain't Workin' Anymore" to Tritt backstage at the CMA awards show, and they recorded it as a duet through the suggestion of Tritt's record producer, Gregg Brown. The duet won both artists the next year's Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. The following January, Cyrus responded at the American Music Awards by referring to Tritt's "Here's a Quarter". Tritt later apologized to Cyrus, but said that he defended his opinion on the song.

1992–1993: T-R-O-U-B-L-E and A Travis Tritt Christmas Tritt and Stuart began their No Hats Tour in 1992. In August of that same year, Tritt released the album T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Its first single was "Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man", a song written by Kostas. This song, which featured backing vocals from Brooks & Dunn, T. Graham Brown, George Jones, Little Texas, Dana McVicker (who also sang backup on Tritt's first two albums), Tanya Tucker, and Porter Wagoner on the final chorus, peaked at number five. Nash gave the album a similar criticism, but praised the rock influences of "Looking Out for Number One" and the vocals on "Can I Trust You with My Heart".

One month after the release of T-R-O-U-B-L-E, Tritt issued a Christmas album titled A Travis Tritt Christmas: Loving Time of the Year, for which he wrote the title track. He also joined the Grand Ole Opry, a weekly stage show and radio broadcast specializing in country music performances, and filled in for Garth Brooks at a performance on the American Music Awards. By year's end, Tritt and several other artists appeared on George Jones's "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair", which won all artists involved the next year's CMA Vocal Event of the Year award.

1994–1995: Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof and Greatest Hits In early 1994, after "Worth Every Mile" fell from the charts, Tritt charted at number 21 with a cover of the Eagles' "Take It Easy". When filming the music video for this song, Tritt requested that the band, which had been on hiatus for over 13 years, appear in it. This reunion inspired the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over Tour, which began that year. The album achieved platinum certification in December of that year and later became his third double-platinum album.

His 1995 album Greatest Hits: From the Beginning included most of his singles to that point, as well as two new cuts - the Steve Earle composition "Sometimes She Forgets" and a cover of the pop standard "Only You (And You Alone)". The former was a hit at number seven, while the latter spent only eight weeks on the country charts and peaked at number 51. "Here's Your Sign (Get the Picture)" peaked at 29 on the country charts and 43 on the Billboard Hot 100, accounting for Tritt's first entry on the latter chart. Tritt told Billboard that the album showed a greater level of personal involvement than his previous efforts, as it was his first co-production credit. He also noted that he sang most of the vocal harmony by himself, played guitar on "She's Going Home with Me", and helped with the album's art direction. It received positive reviews from Thom Owens of AllMusic, who said that it was the most country-sounding album of his career. Don Yates of Country Standard Time also praised it for having a more "organic" sound than Tritt's other albums. He also performed on Frank Wildhorn's concept album of the musical The Civil War, singing the song "The Day the Sun Stood Still". By year's end, Tritt also released his final Warner Bros. album, No More Looking over My Shoulder. It was his first of four consecutive albums he produced with Billy Joe Walker, Jr., who is a session guitarist, producer, and New Age musician. The album was led off by the ballad "If I Lost You", which peaked at number 29 on the country charts and number 86 on the Hot 100. which went to number 38 country in early 1999. The album's third and final single was a cover of Jude Cole's "Start the Car" (previously the B-side to "If I Lost You"), which peaked at number 52. This cut peaked at number 66 on the country charts from unsolicited airplay.

Maria Konicki Dinoia gave the album a positive review on AllMusic, saying that Tritt "hasn't lost his touch". Country Standard Time also gave a positive review, saying that it showed Tritt's balance of country and rock influences. An uncredited review in Billboard magazine called "Best of Intentions" a "gorgeous ballad", comparing it favorably to his early Warner Bros. releases.

2002–2005: Strong Enough and My Honky Tonk History In September 2002, Tritt released his second album on Columbia Records, Strong Enough. Its first single was "Strong Enough to Be Your Man" (an answer song to Sheryl Crow's 1994 single "Strong Enough" ) which reached number 13. The only other release was "Country Ain't Country", which peaked at 26 on the country charts. Tritt contributed guest vocals to Charlie Daniels' 2003 single "Southern Boy", and recorded a cover of Waylon Jennings' "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" to the RCA Records tribute album I've Always Been Crazy. Respectively, these songs reached 51 and 50 on the country charts. Thom Jurek rated this album favorably, saying that it was a "solid, sure-voiced outing"; he also thought that "What Say You" was the best song on it. He signed to the independent Category 5 Records in February 2006, and served as the label's flagship artist. In March 2007, a concert promoter in the Pittsburgh area sued Tritt, claiming he had committed to play a show, but then backed out and signed to play a competing venue. Tritt's manager denied he had ever signed a contract with the promoter. Tritt released his first single for Category 5 in May 2007: a cover of the Richard Marx song "You Never Take Me Dancing". It was included on his only album for Category 5, The Storm, which American Idol judge Randy Jackson produced. "You Never Take Me Dancing" peaked at number 27 on the country charts; a second single, "Something Stronger Than Me", was released in October, but it did not chart. Category 5 closed in November 2007 after allegations that the label's chief executive officer, Raymond Termini, had illegally used Medicaid funds to finance it. A month later, Tritt filed a $10 million lawsuit against Category 5, because the label had failed to pay royalties on the album, and failed to give him creative control on The Storm.

In October 2008, Tritt began an 11-date tour with Marty Stuart, on which they performed acoustic renditions of their duets; Tritt also performed five solo shows. Tritt signed a management deal with Parallel Entertainment in December 2010. He continued to tour through to 2012 and into 2013, with most of his shows being solo acoustic performances. Tritt acquired the rights to the songs on The Storm and reissued it via his own Post Oak label in July 2013 under the title The Calm After... The re-release included two covers - the Patty Smyth and Don Henley duet "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough", which he recorded as a duet with his daughter Tyler Reese, and Faces' 1971 hit "Stay with Me".

In 2019, Tritt was featured on the country rock hit "Outlaws & Outsiders" by Cory Marks. Set in Stone was released in 2021 in two formats - standard and acoustic; recorded around that time in 2019 and 2020, the album was pushed back in early 2021. In 2024, Tritt featured on another Cory Marks song titled "(Make My) Country Rock".

Acting career Tritt's first acting role was alongside fellow country singer Kenny Rogers in the 1993 made-for-television movie Rio Diablo. In 1994, Tritt made a special appearance as a bull rider in the movie The Cowboy Way, which starred Woody Harrelson, Kiefer Sutherland, and Dylan McDermott. In 1995, he appeared in season six of the horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt in the episode called "Doctor of Horror". He also starred in various guest roles on Yes, Dear as a rehabilitating criminal, on Diagnosis Murder as a terminally ill criminal taunting Steve Sloan (Barry Van Dyke), and on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman as a gun slinger. The following year, Tritt appeared as himself in Sgt. Bilko, which starred Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, and Phil Hartman; Tritt's cover of "Only You (And You Alone)" appeared in the film's soundtrack. He also appeared as himself in the 1997 film Fire Down Below, starring Steven Seagal and Kris Kristofferson. In 1999, Tritt appeared in Outlaw Justice with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. Tritt appeared in the film Blues Brothers 2000 as one of the Louisiana Gator Boys, performing alongside B. B. King, Eric Clapton, and Bo Diddley. In 2001, he guest-starred in Elmo's World the Wild Wild West. In September 2010, filming began on a movie called Fishers of Men, a Christian film.

Musical styles Although he had been singing since childhood, Tritt said that he began to put "a little more soul" in his voice after his church band performed at an African-American church. He said that he took interest in how African-American singers put "all these bends and sweeps and curls" in their voices, and began emulating that sound. Later on, he began listening to Southern rock acts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd through the recommendation of a friend, as well as the bluegrass music to which his uncle exposed him. Tritt said that he found his songwriting began to develop during the creation of his demonstration tape, when he had written a song called "Gambler's Blues" that "felt a lot more connected to Southern rock" than his previous writings. He cites country, rock, and folk as his influences.

Regarding his songwriting style and single choices, Tritt said that he writes "strictly from personal experiences" and does not follow a particular formula. He described "Here's a Quarter" as "one of the simplest three-chord waltzes I've ever written", and said that label executives were reluctant to release it because they thought that it was a novelty song. Also, he was told that "I'm Gonna Be Somebody" would not be a hit because it did not contain any rhymes, and fought the release of the song "Country Club" because he did not think that it fit his style. He also said that despite their low peaks, the more rock-influenced "Put Some Drive in Your Country" and "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" helped generate sales for their respective albums more so than the top-10 hits from those albums.

Personal life Tritt married his high school sweetheart, Karen Ryon, in September 1982. They were married two years before divorcing. After going to court, Tritt was ordered to pay alimony to Karen for six months. When he was 21, he married Jodi Barnett, who was 33 at the time. He divorced her shortly after signing with Warner Bros. in 1989; the divorce was finalized one month before "Country Club" was released. Tritt wrote the song "Here's a Quarter" the night he received his divorce papers.

He married Theresa Nelson on April 12, 1997. They have one daughter,

Tritt is a lifelong fan of the Atlanta Falcons. During the early 1990s, he became friends with Jerry Glanville, who would invite him to games whenever he was in town during Glanville's tenure; Tritt was seen on the sideline for multiple games during the 1991 season.

On May 18, 2019, he was in his tour bus when it was involved in a motor vehicle accident that took the lives of two people driving the wrong way on Veteran's Highway leaving Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Political views and advocacy Tritt is a member of the Republican Party and supported George W. Bush for president in 2000. The two met in 1996 at the Republican National Convention in San Diego, California, where Tritt sang the national anthem.

In September 2020, Tritt gained notoriety for joining fellow Republican James Woods in blocking random Twitter users for using pro-Black Lives Matter and other anti-Trump tags in their posts, under the belief that it would counteract anti-Republican sentiment on Twitter.

In April 2023, as a protest against Bud Light for supporting transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Tritt tweeted, "I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider."

Alleged paranormal encounters In October 2015, Tritt appeared on Lifetime Network's The Haunting of... program to discuss his experiences with the paranormal. Tritt stated that beginning in 1993, he was awakened "regularly" by disembodied voices in a vacation cabin that he owned – the voices spoke in an unknown dialect. His wife, Theresa, eventually heard them, as well. According to Tritt, "Over the years, these voices started happening on such a frequent basis that we were afraid to come up here." He also asserted that footprints once appeared in the carpet of the cabin, and imprints in the bedspread, that belonged to neither his wife nor him.

The show's host, Kim Russo, concluded that an African-American medicine man had been stabbed and beaten to death on the property, and the voices that Tritt was hearing belonged to the murderers' angry spirits. A title card in the program notes, "On August 14, 1875, a group of men killed a 'hoodoo doctor' close to the land where Travis's cabin was built." Russo believed that the hoodoo doctor's spirit also lingered on the property because it found a "kindred spirit" in Tritt.

Discography

Studio albums Proud of the Country (1987) Country Club (1990) It's All About to Change (1991) T-R-O-U-B-L-E (1992) Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof (1994) The Restless Kind (1996) No More Looking over My Shoulder (1998) Down the Road I Go (2000) Strong Enough (2002) My Honky Tonk History (2004) The Storm (2007) The Calm After... (2013) Set in Stone (2021) Country Chapel (2023)

Billboard number-one singles "Help Me Hold On" (1990) "Anymore" (1991) "Can I Trust You with My Heart" (19921993) "Foolish Pride" (1994) "Best of Intentions" (2000)

Awards and nominations Grammy Awards

Best Male Country Vocal Performance Best Country Song

"Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" Best Male Country Vocal Performance "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'"

1995 "The Devil Comes Back to Georgia"

"Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best" Hope: Country Music's Quest for a Cure 1999 "Same Old Train" American Music Awards 1991 Travis Tritt Favorite Country New Artist

It's All About to Change Favorite Country Album "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)" Favorite Country Single 2002 Travis Tritt Favorite Country Male Artist TNN/Music City News Country Awards 1991

Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart Vocal Collaboration of the Year "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)" Single of the Year "Anymore" Video of the Year

Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart

George Jones and Friends 1994 Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles Album of the Year 1996 "Tell Me I Was Dreaming" Video of the Year 1997 Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart

1998 Travis Tritt and Lari White Academy of Country Music Awards 1991 Travis Tritt Top New Male Vocalist

Single Record of the Year Song of the Year It's All About to Change Album of the Year "Anymore" Video of the Year

"Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" Video of the Year

"Can I Trust You with My Heart" Song of the Year Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles Album of the Year 1996 "Tell Me I Was Dreaming"

"More Than You'll Ever Know" Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart Top Vocal Duo of the Year 1999 "Same Old Train" Top Vocal Event of the Year

Travis Tritt Top Male Vocalist of the Year "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" Single Record of the Year Down the Road I Go Album of the Year "Out of Control Raging Fire" Vocal Event of the Year Country Music Association Awards 1990

Single of the Year

Song of the Year "Anymore" Video of the Year "This One's Gonna Hurt You (For a Long, Long Time)" Vocal Event of the Year

Male Vocalist of the Year Entertainer of the Year 1993 "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair"

"The Devil Comes Back to Georgia" Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles

Rhythm, Country and Blues 1996 "Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best"

1999 "Same Old Train" 2002 "Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde" Video of the Year Nominated alongside Marty StuartNominated alongside Marty Stuart, Mark O'Connor, Charlie Daniels and Johnny CashNominated alongside Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis and Dwight YoakamGeorge Jones' "Friends" also includes: Vince Gill, Mark Chesnutt, Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie, Alan Jackson, Pam Tillis, T. Graham Brown, Patty Loveless and Clint BlackNominated alongside Patty LovelessNominated alongside George Jones and Friends

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1990 Hee Haw Himself One episode: "Episode No. 22.12" 1993 Rio Diablo Benjamin Taber TV movie 1994 The Cowboy Way Himself 1994 Following Her Heart Himself TV movie 1995 Tales from the Crypt Charlie One episode: "Doctor of Horror" 1995 The Jeff Foxworthy Show Himself One episode: "He's Making a List, Checking It Twice" 1996 Sgt. Bilko Himself 1996 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Zachary Brett One episode: "Tin Star" 1996 A Holiday for Love Sheriff Tom Uhl TV movie 1997 Fire Down Below Himself 1998 Blues Brothers 2000 Himself 1999 The Long Kill Sheriff Dalton TV movie 1999 Diagnosis Murder Kurt Fallon One episode: "Down Among the Dead Men" 1999 Touched by an Angel Dan McConnell One episode: "Hearts" 1999 Arliss "Cooter" McCoy One episode: "The Cult of Celebrity" 2001 Elmo's World Himself One special: "Wild Wild West" 2002 CMT Crossroads Himself Performed with Ray Charles 2003 King of the Hill Walt (voice) One episode: "Livin' on Reds, Vitamin C and Propane" 2004 Yes, Dear Hank One episode: "Greg and Jimmy's Criminals" 2004 Higglytown Heroes Farmer Hero One episode: "Halloween Heroes" 2004 Celebrity Poker Showdown Himself Two episodes; 2004–2005"Tournament 2, Game 1""Tournament 5, Game 5" 20052001 ManiacsGas station attendant 2005 Blue Collar TV Himself One episode: "Dating" 2008 Battleground Earth Himself One episode: "Fast Fuel" 2008 The Girls Next Door Himself One episode: "Kentucky Fried" 2011 Fishers of Men Eddie Waters post-production 2017 Let There Be Light Dr. Corey 2018 Forever My Girl Walt