When you think of the legend of country music and deep baritone voices, one man will stand above the rest. This man is Randy Travis. For years, his singles, albums, and live performances have made headlines and met with exceptionally positive reviews. I figure that since this website has just been updated with the prime necessities for a Randy fan, such as exclusive music, a fan community, videos, and other features, that a weekly blog should be dedicated to the man and his talent as well.

In this first volume, I would like to discuss the Around the Bend promotional campaign that has seemingly taken off like a rocket. One would think it was 1986 again with the man's face surfacing all over the country music networks and media. The free download of 'Faith in You' has become a hot topic on country radio stations and their websites. We have watched Randy broaden his horizons when he tackled Christian music and made the genre better than ever. Anyone with a radio can remember the consistent airplay 'Three Wooden Crosses' obtained a few years back. And now the man has returned to the emotional love songs, the ballads depicting the trials of life, and the classic 'feelgood' country twang. I know I speak for everyone in the fan community when I say that the anticipation for this album is at an all time high. Can Randy ever really be knocked a peg down? Can he become obscure? Would his music disappear into the archives of forgotten tunes as years pressed on? It's 2008, and the answer is no. The man and his music is truly timeless.

When 'Around the Bend' started coming together, I am sure Warner and Elizabeth Travis Management had to plot their marketing plan. The free mp3 was evidently including in this design and was both a very generous and smart maneuver. Get that single out to as many people as possible, to refresh what they knew about Randy's country classics. The website was modernized and given a sleek, fresh feel. Fan interaction is now featured, which allows us fans to buzz about the unmatched style of R.T. Another piece of the promo puzzle is obviously the album art. Throughout the years, we have seen some slick art, as seen below.

However, the album cover that currently stands for Around the Bend was not the only candidate. The cover was chosen out of different 'takes' by professional photographer Eric Swanson. Here is the picture that has been chosen to grace the new album, at present time.

And here is a rare picture from the 'outtakes' taken from the album art photo shoot.

Which one do you prefer? Personally, I do like the one Warner/Randy has chosen for the release, but I definitely think they would both make great covers. Perhaps the picture that wasn't chosen could be used for a future Randy CD/DVD release? What are your thoughts?

Are there any topics or issues you would like to see discussed on this blog? Any questions to be answered?

Feedback is welcomed and encouraged!

4ever and 4ever amen,

Anthony