The singer who provided the “vocal bed” for Randy Travis on the country legend’s A.I.-assisted “Where That Came From” will perform all of Travis’s 16 Number One hits at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on June 5. James Dupré will sub for Travis, who lost most of his ability to speak after a 2013 stroke, on what’s being called the More Life Tour, an ongoing tribute tour to Travis featuring Dupré fronting Travis’s original band. Travis and his wife, Mary, will be in attendance at the Ryman date.
A release for the concert confirmed that Travis will not take the microphone. Instead he will be present “to engage with fans and the band and enjoy the music.”
Songs concertgoers can expect include “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” and “Three Wooden Crosses.” Video highlights from throughout Travis’s career will also play around Dupré’s performances. (Presale tickets go on sale Thursday. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday with full details on AXS’ website.)
Dupré has been singing the Travis catalog on tour for years now. He recently told Rolling Stone about the experience of making the A.I. song and performing Travis’s tunes on the road. “I don’t try to sound like Randy,” he said. “Even on tour, I’m not gonna go out there to impersonate Randy Travis.”
He also reflected on his and Travis’s shared history. “It’s really crazy how our paths have intertwined over the last 15 years,” he said. “If you go back to my old YouTube videos, I did sing some Randy Travis songs. His voice was always something that I was attracted to. We didn’t meet until years later, and then we worked together on a movie before his stroke. … After his stroke, we just kept in touch and did a few events together through the years. And then we started the tour in 2019.”
Despite the unique origin story of “Where That Came From” and the questions the AI track raises, the song has become a hit: It charted at Number 45 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
More Life Tour Dates:
May 23 – Abilene, Texas @ The Paramount
May 24 – Greenville, Texas @ Greenville Municipal Auditorium
June 5 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Ryman Auditorium
June 7 – Wichita, Kan. @ Orpheum Theatre
June 8 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Folly Theater
July 26 – Pigeon Forge, Tenn. @ Country Tonite Theatre
Sept. 14 – Pensacola, Fla. @ Saenger Theatre
Sept. 15 – Montgomery, Ala. @ Montgomery Performing Arts Centre
Nov. 1 – Greensburg, Pa. @ Palace Theatre
Nov. 2 – Newark, Ohio @ Midland Theatre