Randy Travis and his wife Mary are speaking out this week to thank artificial intelligence for giving him the chance to sing again.
Randy And Mary Praise AI
“When I first heard it, I couldn’t hear much because I was crying so hard,” Mary told Fox News. “When Randy watched it, it was beautiful because I watched him go from listening real intently to this pensive emotion to a smile and then an all-out laughter.”
Randy sadly suffered a major stroke back in 2013. This left him with aphasia. The condition has made it difficult for him to both speak and sing.
“It was just an overwhelming feeling to hear his voice and a new song because he had heard his own voice so many times with the old songs, but this one was a brand-new one,” Mary said. “And so it was just beautiful.”
AI was used to replicate Randy’s voice and use it for the new song “Where That Came From.” Check that out in the video below.
‘It’s Been Magical’
Though AI is controversial in the eyes of some, Randy and his wife could not be more grateful for what it has done for them.
“It’s given Randy back the ability to make the music,” Mary explained. She added that it’s allowed him “to do the things that he loved to do more than anything in the world.”
Randy nodded his head in agreement as his wife said that “it’s been magical.”
Watch them talk more about this in the video below.
Randy announced his new song earlier this month.
“Eleven years ago I never thought I would be able to have a hand in music production of any kind,” he said in a statement. “But by God’s grace and the support of family, friends, fellow artists and fans, I’m able to create the music I so dearly love.”
Cris Lacy, the co-president of Warner Music Nashville, defended using AI to make Randy’s new song.
“It’s Randy Travis; Randy’s on the other side of the microphone,” Lacy told CBS News. “It’s still his vocal. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to make music, and to deprive him of that—if he still wants to do that—that’s unconscionable.”
When asked “what would AI for good look like?,” Lacy replied, “AI for good would be giving Randy Travis his voice back.”
Check out a recent interview with Randy in the video below.
Related: Kane Brown Serenades Randy Travis In Touching Moment On Stage In Oklahoma
Randy’s History
Born in North Carolina in 1959, Randy was raised on a farm. There, he was training horses by the time he was 6 years-old. Randy learned to play the guitar at the age of 10. He moved to Nashville in 1981 to pursue music.
The rest, as they say, was history. Randy has won seven Grammy Awards, eleven ACM Awards, and ten AMA Awards. His biggest hits include the songs “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “Diggin’ Up Bones.”
Randy has been married to his wife Mary since 2015. She does most of the talking for him in the wake of his stroke.
Regardless of how you feel about AI, you have to admit that it’s nice that it has allowed Randy to sing again. Please join us in saying a prayer for his health moving forward!
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