Book of the Week: Randy Travis: Storms of Life (2025) by Diane Diekman

How does an artist and their body of work become worthy of examination? Is it their impact and their legacy, like Elvis Presley? Is it their mysterious persona, like Prince? Is it the unanswered questions about their life, like Luther Vandross?

I must admit, I've never thought to myself, "I'm curious to learn more about Randy Travis," but Diane Diekman's new by-the-book, well-researched biography Randy Travis: Storms of Life (University of Illinois Press, $34.95) begs to differ. And when you read her book, you'll see why the Country Music Hall of Famer and seven-time Grammy winner is just as worthy of retrospection as anyone, regardless of his legacy outside of his genre.

It may surprise people how raunchy a lot of this book is, especially considering that Travis is well-known as a gospel artist, the deep baritone behind songs like "Three Wooden Crosses," "The Carpenter," and "Drive Another Nail." The boy formerly known as Randy Traywick's child and young adulthoods were filled with DUIs, thefts, and resisting arrest charges. People can change, of course, but I do think a couple aunties will get this book for Christmas, unaware of Randy's redemption story, and their eyes will bulge out of their heads.

Music, naturally, was Randy's way out of trouble. Well, criminal trouble, that is - he was still messy. His first manager was also his first wife, even though she was married, 18 years older than him, and, ahem, his boss. That's...kinda crazy! These are the eponymous storms of life, I suppose.

I often take issue with biographies when I feel like too much of the text is spent on private and personal issues, and not enough time is spent on the thing that made them well-known enough to have biographies written about them. Obviously their personal matters are important, but sometimes I feel like I'm reading a book about a singer who never sings. Diekman strikes a good balance, giving context to Randy's decision-making while charting his success. I want to read about the Grand Ole Opry and "Forever and Ever, Amen" and honky tonks and the Grammys. Her book doesn't gloss over anything.

It doesn't seem to be particularly revelatory for Travis fans, perhaps more of an extended Wikipedia article than an enlightening or perspective-shifting project, but that's fine with me because it's what I was looking for. I've always liked his voice and a few of his tunes (I once had a dream that I was his new accordion player - I don't play the accordion. I don't know, it was a dream...) and have followed with interest his life and career post-stroke (including his fascinating contributions to the AI conversation), but that's about it. I appreciated this whole-hearted retrospective.

I've made it a mission of mine to read some more musical biographies and histories this summer. I like projects! Now that I've finished Randy Travis: Storms of Life, I'm reading Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour's new Lollapalooza oral history and I think I'll get to Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald. What else should I read?