Randy Travis Surprises Scotty McCreery at First Gig of 2017
Scotty McCreery is back on the road after a short break, and he had "one of the coolest moments of my career" on Friday night (Jan. 27) when Randy Travis dropped in unannounced at his first performance of 2017 ... when he just happened to be playing one of Travis' songs.
McCreery kicked off his 2017 touring schedule with a gig at the legendary Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, Texas, and as he recounts in a Facebook post from Saturday (Jan. 28), he was on his bus before the show when his tour manager knocked.
"My tour manager says, 'Hey, Scotty come here,' so I walk up to the front of the bus, look out the window, and who is standing outside my door?! RANDY TRAVIS!!! He, his wife Mary and his family decided to ride over to the show and surprise me! Got to visit with them for a while before the show, and then they all sat on the side of the stage and watched the whole show!" McCreery writes.
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The American Idol Season 10 champ says that he and his band learned Travis' iconic hit, "Forever and Ever, Amen," five years ago before he began touring, but ended up taking the song out of the set and never playing it live. This year he decided to put the classic back in his set, and he sang it live for the first time ever on Friday night.
"And who just happened to show up, surprise me, and watch the whole show from the side of the stage?! Randy Travis. I'd say that's a God thing!" McCreery says. "Definitely one of the coolest moments of my career to date is singing that song live, and looking over to my right and seeing him smiling ear-to-ear, dancing, and singing along with us!"
Travis has made a habit out of surprising folks lately. He suffered a devastating stroke in 2013 that took his ability to speak and walk, but he has made a slow and steady recovery, stunning the audience at his Country Music Hall of Fame induction in October of 2016 by leading a singalong of "Amazing Grace" and helping to close out an all-star performance at the 2016 CMA Awards.
McCreery is among the artists slated to take part in an upcoming concert to pay tribute to Travis' influence. Heroes and Friends: A Tribute to Randy Travis takes place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Feb. 8.
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