On September 16, 1986, country music legend Randy Travis performed at the Colony Theatre in Marietta, Ohio, just as his career was taking off. Almost 30 years later on Thursday September 15, 2016, at 7:30 p.m., Travis will return to the stage of the present-day Peoples Bank Theatre. Travis will not be performing, due to a stroke he suffered three years ago, but he will make an appearance to be honored and enjoy the show. Chuck Lipps, VP of Rick Modest & Associates, was a member of the opening band The Breeze at the 1986 show and opened many others for Travis from 1987 through 1997. He has continued his friendship with Travis over the years and is very proud that RMA could put this show together.
The show will feature The Randy Travis Band with special guest vocalist Kevin Denney. Opening the show will be two former members of the Breeze, drummer Lipps and bass guitarist Ron Bevan, along with lead guitarist Dave James and steel guitarist Gary Carter. Carter was in Travis’s band at the 1986 show.
“To come full-circle almost 30 years to the date in the same venue is historic and certainly a part of country music history for Randy, myself, and the theatre’s executive director Hunt Brawley,” Lipps says. “From 1986 CMA Horizon Award winner to 2016 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Randy has cemented his place in country music forever, and part of it started right here.”
Having Travis there in person is a miracle in itself. In July, 2013, he suffered a heart virus followed by a stroke that left him unable to sing. But with his intense therapy and determination, he has made great strides and “giant baby steps” in his abilities in the past three years.
“I was fortunate to visit with Randy this past December and again in May, and I saw improvement over that time,” Lipps adds. “His wife, Mary, is his rock. I truly believe he will sing again. I couldn’t think of a better way to honor him. He’s a big reason I’m still in the music business.”
Rick Modesitt & Associates is producing the show, and all proceeds will go to the newly established Randy Travis Foundation for Viral Cardiomyopathy Detection, Stroke Rehab and Music for Underprivileged Children. Tickets will go on sale at noon on August 24 at peoplesbanktheatre.com and at the Box Office: 740-371-5152.
