Travis Tritt carried the banner of outlaw country throughout the nineties. His southern rock-infused sound dominated the airwaves as well as the honky-tonks. There was a time when you couldn’t turn on a radio without hearing one of Tritt’s many hit singles. Songs like “Here’s a Quarter,” “Put Some Drive In Your Country,” and “T-R-O-U-B-L-E.” were the soundtrack to late nights, early mornings, and everything in between.
Travis Tritt released his first single in years back in March. Listening to “Smoke in a Bar, ” was like stepping back in time. At the same time, it was just a taste of what he had in store for the country music would. Today, Tritt dropped his first album since 2013’s The Calm After… He is also the guest on the latest installment of The Road You Leave Behind with Marty Smith. Fans of Tritt aren’t going to want to miss the interview or the new album, Set In Stone.
Set In Stone is available to stream wherever you listen to music right now.
Highlights from Travis Tritt’s Conversation with Marty Smith
Marty Smith joined Travis Tritt at his in-home studio down in Georgia. While he was there, they covered Tritt’s road to stardom. Travis opened up about his influences and heroes as well as the obstacles he faced while coming up in the country music world.
Travis Tritt has a wide variety of influences. Even a passing listen to his discography shows that he draws from a deep and varied background. While sitting in the studio, Marty Smith could see Tritt’s influences literally on display. He noted that the room featured portraits of Waylon Jennings and his wife Jessi Colter as well as Charlie Daniels. Marty had to know who helped shape Travis’ sound.
“Well, those were some of the biggest ones,” Travis Tritt said, referring to the portraits on his wall. He added, “The only one not pictured in this room that probably had more to do with anything that comes out of my mouth when I sing is Ray Charles.”
The Hard Work Pays Off
Later in the interview, Travis Tritt talks about how hard he had to work in the early days of his career. He started playing in bars six nights a week. Things didn’t get any easier after he was signed. In fact, he said that in the first two years after being signed, he spent less than a month at home. During that time, he didn’t have two days off back-to-back. However, he never thought about hanging it up because he loved what he was doing so much. He told Marty that it was all worth it.
Over the course of his career, Travis Tritt was able to not only get to know and befriend legends like George Jones, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings but he was also able to record and perform with them. That’s not all, though. He was able to meet, get to know, and play with the man who deeply influenced his vocal style, Ray Charles.
To learn more about how Travis Tritt helped to get The Eagles back together and the important life advice he got from Waylon Jennings, you’ll have to tune into the latest episode of The Road You Leave Behind.
For more about Travis Tritt and other artists, watch the full video podcasts on Outsider’s Youtube or listen on Podbean or Apple Podcasts (below).
