Travis Tritt

I’m back again this week talking about country singer, Travis Tritt. Growing up, my dad and I listened to him nonstop. It’s the only thing other people could hear blaring in my dad’s GMC Jimmy going down the road in Virginia. I also happen to think Travis Tritt and my dad share a very BIG resemblance. He’s personally my favorite country singer. His songs have real meaning, he’s not just singing to make money. Tritt sings from personal experiences that have led him to where he is now.

Travis Tritt came up in the early 90’s, trying out his own sound, mixing country and southern blues rock. The sound works for him very well. As time went by, his image grew from new upcoming country singer, into pure outlaw with a lot of guts. This image made him stick out from the rest of the singers he was up against, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, and Clint Black. During the 90’s he had platinum albums, three number one hits, and Top Ten singles.

During his earlier life, he taught himself to play the guitar at the age of 8, and by 14 was writing his own songs. His parents didn’t agree with his choice of career, his father believed there was no money in writing or performing. His mother on the other hand didn’t mind, but wanted him to have a different genre of music, gospel. Before he turned 22, he was married and divorced twice, and was unsuccessful at having an average, everyday life. While working different little jobs he continued to play his music. One job he had, working for an air conditioning company, their vice president was also a guitarist who had given up his dreams of pursuing a musical career and urged Tritt to follow his.

In 1989, Tritt was signed to Warner Brothers’ Nashville division. His debut album, Country Club was in stores by 1990. Though he was successful, the Nashville music industry was nervous about Travis. The music he played and the stage shows were too rock & roll, plus his image wasn’t the same as all the other country legends. With his second album, It’s All About to Change, he had a major breakthrough. Upon hiring a new manager who worked with Kenny Rogers and Trisha Yearwood, his second album went multi-platinum.