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Grab your cowboy hat and get your boots 'cause Travis Tritt is back with a vengeance after a two-year recording hiatus. Come on over to the L.A. County Fair at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22 to see Tritt perform his new sound at the End of Summer Concert Series on the Los Angeles Newspaper Group Grandstand Stage. With 12 No.1 hits, two Grammy awards, three Country Music Association awards and more than 18 million albums sold, Travis has established himself as one of country music's most talented, successful and distinctive artists. For more than 10 years, Tritt has ranked in the top of the charts for country music with songs that appeal to both country fans and mass audiences.
Down the Road I Go is Tritt's first album since his return, which opens a new chapter in an already impressive career. The gifted singer/songwriter shared in writing seven of the cuts on the new album including the first single Best of Intentions. Tritt decided to match his talents with some of Nashville's finest songwriters including one of his all-time heroes Charlie Daniels. Tritt's collaborations with Daniels resulted in two of the albums most riveting songs, If The Fall Don't Kill You and Southbound Train.
Born in Marietta, Georgia, on February 9, 1963, Tritt fell in love with music at an early age. He taught himself how to play guitar when he was 8 and started writing songs when he was 14. His parents did not encourage him to follow his instincts; his father was afraid there was no money in music and his mother wanted him to sing gospel.
Trying to please his parents, he married at 18, went to work and had a family. Tritt was married and divorced twice before he was 27. He continued to play music while working various jobs including one selling air conditioners. A vice president of the company told him to follow his dreams, so he quit his job in 1982 and began pursuing a career in music full-time. He started by recording demos for a promotion man while he played the honky tonk circuit. He developed a distinctive sound adding elements of country rock and southern rock to his honky tonk.
In 1989, Tritt signed a contract with Warner Brothers' Nashville division for his debut album, Country Club. Before the album was released, Tritt's first single hit Country Club, went to the top ten on the charts and still ranks among his other top-selling singles. Charlie Daniels liked the song so much he booked Tritt to open shows for him, which gave him a big boost in the business.
Tritt's breakthrough success came in 1991 when his second album It's All About Change was released. Prior to its release, he hired manager Ken Kragen who worked with Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Rogers, and the We Are the World campaign. Kragen helped market Tritt to appeal to both country and rock'n'roll fans sending the album into multi-platinum territory.
Tritt quickly became one of country music's most recognizable voices and most visible entertainers. He won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 1991 and won a Grammy in 1993 for his work with Marty Stuart, which led to many chart-topping hits.
In 1992, his third album had a number one single that went Gold: Can I Trust You With My Heart. In 1994, Tritt escalated to his highest position with Ten Feet Tall & Bulletproof, with the No. 1 country hit Foolish Pride placing him number 20 on the pop charts. His 1995 collection of Greatest Hits-From the Beginning went platinum within six months of its release. Tritt also had roles in feature films and television shows The Cowboy Way, Sgt. Bilko, and HBO's Tales From the Crypt. He performed for a half-billion people at 1993's Super Bowl and he reunited with the Eagles on their video shoot for Take It Easy from the Common Thread: The Songs Of The Eagles album.
For his album The Restless Kind, Tritt opted to go back to traditional country music resulting in a record that captured his talent at
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