Cole Swindell surprised fans during CMA Fest by bringing legendary country singer Randy Travis on stage during his Jun. 11 performance at Ascend Ampitheater in Nashville.
Travis joined Swindell on stage during his sold-out show Warner Music Nashville show.
“Y’all, one of my biggest influences right here, please say hello, make some noise for Mr. Randy Travis,” Swindell said while on stage with Travis.
The crowd erupted with cheers as Travis’ wife Mary also appeared and helped her husband exit the stage.
Prior to playing his show at Ascend Ampitheater, Swindell met with Travis and thanked him for all he’s done to support his fellow country artists.
“Randy, thank you for all you’ve done. Thank you for inspiring us and being kind to me, new artists everywhere, you’re the best. I’m proud to be a fan. I love y’all. I love all of you,” Swindell said, looking at Travis as well as his crew members. “‘Forever And Ever Amen’ on three,” he added, as everyone gathered raised a glass in honor of Travis. Following the toast, Swindell, his crew, and Travis’ wife each took a shot to celebrate.
Swindell shared a reel of the moment to his Instagram, writing, “What a night! Such an honor to have @therandytravis come out to our sold out @warnermusicnashville #CMAFest show this weekend!”
While performing his song, “She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” Swindell changed the lyric, “and she’s a ’90s country fan like I am” to “and she’s a Randy Travis fan like I am.”
Travis is best known for songs such as “Forever And Ever, Amen,” “I Told You So,” “Three Wooden Crosses,” and “Diggin’ Up Bones.” The singer suffered a major stroke in 2013 that required brain surgery, has limited his speech, and has prevented him from being able to play guitar and perform. The singer’s life and career as well as his health challenges were chronicled in a documentary called Randy Travis: More Life, which is available to watch for free via his YouTube channel. The first episode of the documentary was released back in April with new episodes arriving every two weeks through July 7.
Meanwhile, Swindell will continue to hit the road with various festival appearances including the Barefoot Country Music Festival Jun. 16-19 before kicking off his Back Down To The Bar Tour, which concludes in November.
