Travis Tritt

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Travis Tritt
Tritt on the 1996 album The Restless Kind
Background information
Birth name	James Travis Tritt
Born	9 February 1963
Origin	Georgia, United States
Genre(s)	Country Rock
Instrument(s)	Guitar
Years active	1989-present
Label(s)	Warner Bros. Records (1987-1999) Columbia Records (1999-2005) Category 5 Records (2005-present)

James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music singer.

[edit] Biography

Tritt was born in Marietta, Georgia to James and Gwen Tritt. At age 3, he received his first guitar from his father.

Travis Tritt started writing songs while he was in high school, the first song he wrote was called "Spend A Little Time", written about his girlfriend at the time who broke up with him. All throughout his childhood, Tritt was obsessed with music; spending hours at a time in his bedroom with a guitar he learned to play by himself, learning any music he could get his hands on.

By 22, he had been through two divorces and had committed himself entirely to his music career. He has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1992.

His breakthrough came with his first album, Country Club, from which three singles were released, as well as his first No. 1 hit with "Help Me Hold On"' His second album, It's All About To Change, produced two top 3 hits including: "Anymore", "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", and "Here's A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)". The song "Bible Belt" was used in the movie, My Cousin Vinny, and, for which, he composed alternate lyrics exclusively for the use of the film.

Tritt has released a trilogy of music videos describing the tale of two paralyzed war veterans: Mac Singleton and his friend Al. In the video for "Tell Me I was Dreaming", Tritt plays Singleton, a wheelchair bound veteran who tries to rescue his pregnant wife Annie from slipping off a boat, subsequently hitting her head on the side of the dock. She dies, but their baby, Annie, survives. The third video shows what happened with Singleton and his daughter after the second video.

Tritt's latest album, My Honky Tonk History, showcases a wide range of styles, from love ballads to energetic footstompers.

Respected across genres, Tritt has collaborated with many other musicians, including: Marty Stuart ("This One's Gonna Hurt You", "Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best"), Patti LaBelle ("When Something is Wrong With My Baby"), Ray Charles (Crossroads), Ricky Skaggs' Bill Monroe tribute ("My Little Georgia Rose"), George Jones ("Walls Can Fall", "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair", "The Race Is On"), Lari White ("Helping Me Get Over You"), Hank Williams, Jr. ("Outlaws Like Us"), Waylon Jennings ("Outlaws Like Us", "I've Always Been Crazy"), Johnny Cash, Lorrie Morgan ("Steppin' Stones"), Vince Gill, Buddy Guy ("Change In The Weather"), David Lee Roth ("Your Filthy Little Mouth"), Gary Rossington ("Blue Collar Man, No Vacation From The Blues"), Kenny Rogers ("If I Were You"), Mark O'Connor ("Heroes, The Devil Went Down to Georgia"), The Eagles ("Take It Easy"), and many others.

In 2000, Tritt was in the film Blues Brothers 2000, performing in a band called the Gator Boys.

In 2002, Tritt was asked by CMT to do an episode of Crossroads, a special program where artists choose who they would like to play music with for an evening, and he chose to share the opportunity and experience with Ray Charles. The night was particularly memorable for anyone familiar with Charles' own roots in country music. He paid tribute to Charles at the Grand Ole Opry by perfoming his hit "What' I Say" on June 3, 2006 on GAC.

Tritt also teamed with John Mellencamp for a duet on "What Say You" in 2004, a song both have noted was inspired by Fox News Channel commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often introduces a topic and then throws it to a guest with the introductory "... what say you?". Tritt also played at the 2000 Republican National Convention.

Under the news section of his website, Tritt reveals that he is co-producing his next album with American Idol judge Randy Jackson. The currently unnamed album is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2007.

Travis married Theresa Nelson on April 12, 1997. They now reside in Hiram, Georgia off of Travis Tritt Highway. Together, they have three children: Tyler Reese (born February 18, 1998), Tristan James (born June 16, 1999) and Terian Nathaniel (born November 20, 2003).

Former members of Tritt's band The Country Club include:

• Tim Passmore - fiddle, background vocals, guitar
• Jimmie Joe Rougiere - harmonica
• John Bonnet - bass guitar
• George Stallings - drums

[edit] Recent News

• Atlanta, GA – A versatile performer from suburban Atlanta, Travis Tritt has secured major industry awards and sold millions of records, thus solidifying his stature within the Peach State's pantheon of noteworthy contributors to country music. He played at the inauguration of Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle on Jan. 7, 2007.

• Tritt worked on his debut album for Category 5 Records with the album co-produced by Tritt and American Idol star Randy Jackson. A release date is slated for late summer 2007.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

• Country Club (1990)
• It's All About To Change (1991)
• T-R-O-U-B-L-E (1992)
• A Travis Tritt Christmas (1992)
• Ten Feet Tall And Bulletproof (1994)
• Greatest Hits: From The Beginning (1995)
• The Restless Kind (1996)
• No More Looking over My Shoulder (1998)
• Down the Road I Go (2000)
• The Rockin' Side (2002)
• The Lovin' Side (2002)
• Strong Enough (2002)
• My Honky Tonk History (2004)
• Very Best of Travis Tritt (2007)

[edit] Singles

[edit] Awards

Country Music Association

• Vocal Event of the Year "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" 1993
• Vocal Event of the Year "This One's Gonna Hurt You (For A Long, Long Time)" 1992
• Horizon Award 1991

Grammy

• Best Country Collaboration With Vocals "Same Old Train" 1998
• Best Country Vocal Collaboration "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" 1992

[edit] External links

• The Official Travis Tritt Website