Friends, fans and fellow musicians preparing to pay tribute to country music legend Randy Travis
GRAND PRAIRIE (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Friends, fans and fellow musicians are getting ready to pay tribute to living country music legend Randy Travis.
A Texas Heroes & Friends Tribute to Randy Travis is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.
CBS News Texas recently sat down with Travis and his wife Mary to chat about the upcoming show.
"We're going to have a kick-in-the-pants kind of time," Mary said. "We're going to act like somebody left the gate open. A lot of fun."
She added that they wanted to have the show in Texas because that's "where we live, that's where we love."
It will feature a long list of local and national artists who will sing and cover Travis' songs.
And while the concert is being billed as a tribute to the legend, it will also serve to benefit The Randy Travis Foundation.
Travis, who suffered a stroke back in 2013, was left with a right side paralysis of his body and aphasia.
His foundation is largely dedicated to increase awareness about strokes.
"Fortunately, we have survived that, and we have a wonderful life and a wonderful opportunity to share with people what we have learned from the experience about strokes, stroke awareness [and] preventing strokes," Mary said.
One of the performers at the show will be Paul Overstreet, a singer songwriter out of Nashville and a lifelong friend of Travis. He is also the cowriter on many of Travis' hits, like "Forever, and Ever Amen."
Overstreet, is the co -writer of many Travis hits like "Forever and Ever, Amen."
"He recorded those songs and made them huge," he said. "So, he's given so much to us. When they asked me to play for his foundation, I was thrilled to be asked."
Though Travis' singing voice may be gone, those who know him well say his message to help others through his music and foundation is being heard louder than ever these days.
"Years ago, he said when he first started playing music, 'I thought if I could touch one life then I have done my job,'" Mary recalled. "I told him, 'You have done it a million times over.'"
