Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis will receive the ASCAP Founders Award at the 57th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards, which will be held Nov. 11 in Nashville. The awards show will host special guest performances to honor Travis.
“Randy Travis is the seminal country artist of a generation,” ASCAP chairman of the board and president Paul Williams said in a statement. “His meteoric rise to the top of the country charts was fueled by that unmistakable baritone and a talent for traditional country music that spoke to everyone. As a new artist, Randy garnered international attention at a time when such exposure for country artists was reserved for an iconic few.”
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His “music and devotion to classic country sounds,” according to Williams, have not only won him this award, but paved the way for his astounding accomplishments: Travis holds seven Grammys, 11 Academy of Country Music Awards and three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Country Recurrent Airplay chart: “He Walked on Water” from 1990, “Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man” from 1999 and “Three Wooden Crosses” from 2003.
Marked as one of ASCAP’s highest honors, the Founders Award is given to songwriters and composers “who have made pioneering contributions to music,” according to a press release. Past recipients include Garth Brooks, Tom Petty and Neil Young.