Scotty McCreery congratulated country music legend, Randy Travis, on his CMT Artist Of a Lifetime achievement on Thursday (Oct. 7).
In a clip, shared by Travis on social media, McCreery is seen standing on his tour bus, wearing a black Levi’s shirt and jeans, praising the iconic singer, while also admitting that nobody deserves the award more than Travis.
“Hey Randy, Scotty here, just wanted to give you a big congrats on your CMT Artist Of A Lifetime award. Nobody deserves it more than you,” McCreery said. “Growing up in North Carolina listening to country music you were the guy, that’s the songs I was learning on guitar, “Forever & Ever, Amen” and “Diggin’ Up Bones.” Congratulations, nobody deserves it more.”
When McCreery discovered country music, Travis was the one artist he always looked up to and is the one who made the American Idol winner fall in love with genre. And being that Travis and McCreery are both from the same home state of North Carolina, it inspired the singer to pursue his country music dreams.
“When I was younger, I played his songs on my guitar almost every night before going to sleep. Knowing that he was also from North Carolina showed me it was possible to follow my own dreams,” McCreery previously Rare Country. “Randy is country music. Period.”
The North Carolina natives met each other at the 50th annual CMA Music Awards and McCreery made sure to document the moment he met his hero with a heartfelt caption alongside a photo with the icon on Instagram.
“This was my CMA award tonight! Yall have no idea how big of a deal this was to me,” the Instagram caption read. “Little Ccotty used to sit on the end of his bed with a guitar playing three wooden crosses, forever and ever amen, 1982, diggin’ up bones and so many other Randy Travis songs till 2 in the morning. This man, as much as anyone, really inspired me to sing country music. What an honor it was to meet him tonight!”
Previously, McCreery experienced what he dubbed “one of the coolest moments of my career” in January 2017, when Travis show up to his concert in Texas at Billy Bob’s to surprise the country singer.
“My tour manager says, ‘Hey, Scotty come here,’ so I walk up to the front of the bus, look out the window, and who is standing outside my door?! RANDY TRAVIS!!! He, his wife Mary and his family decided to ride over to the show and surprise me!” McCreery said Facebook.
Travis and his wife Mary stayed for the duration of McCreery’s 2017 concert at the iconic Texas honky-tonk. McCreery and his bandmates even performed “Forever And Ever, Amen” during the show, as Travis watched on from the front row of the crowd with a big smile on his face.
Travis will soon be honored as the Artist of a Lifetime at the upcoming CMT Artists of the Year ceremony, which takes place on October 13 live on CMT.
“To think you receive a Lifetime Achievement award for sharing your heart with the world through music is really beyond words of gratitude. CMT has been so good to me throughout my career, and I’m happy they believe I gave something in return. I’m blessed and most thankful,” shared Travis.
“It is a privilege to announce Randy Travis as the recipient of this year’s CMT Artist of a Lifetime award. His historic career encompassing multiple genres illuminates his extraordinary talent, determination, and lasting influence on country music and beyond,” said Leslie Fram, Senior Vice President, Music & Talent, CMT. “Randy’s unmistakable, traditional country sound has shaped multiple generations, and we’re honored to celebrate this deserved lifetime honor with him.”
Reba McEntire (2019), Loretta Lynn (2018), Shania Twain (2016), Kenny Rogers (2015) and Merle Haggard (2014) have also received the Artists of a Lifetime honor.
