In the ’80s, Randy Travis was a hit-making machine and scored 10 number one country songs making him one of the biggest country music stars of the decade!
In 1986, Randy Travis scored his first number one country song for his re-release of his classic country hit ‘On The Other Hand’ from his debut album ‘Storms of Life’. ‘On the Other Hand’ was written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz.
Randy Travis followed up ‘On the Other Hand’ with another number one single from his ‘Storms of Life’ album. ‘Diggin’ Up Bones’ was released on August 4, 1986 and was written by Paul Overstreet, Nat Stuckey, and Al Gore.
In 1987, Randy Travis released ‘Forever and Ever, Amen’ from his 2nd studio album called ‘Always & Forever’. It became his 3rd number one country single when it spent three weeks atop the charts. This was the first single to spend three weeks on the country charts since Johnny Lee’s ‘Lookin’ for Love’ seven years prior.
The song won a Grammy for Best Country & Western Song at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988. It also claimed Song of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.
Oh, and by the way, ‘Forever and Ever, Amen’ was also written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. Paul Overstreet was on a role as well!
‘I Won’t Need You Anymore (Always and Forever)’ was the 2nd single released from Randy Travis’ ‘Always and Forever’ album, and it became his 4th number one country single. The song was written by Max D. Barnes and Troy Seals, and was first recorded by country music legend George Jones for his 1981 album ‘Still the Same Ole Me’. Travis released it as a single in August 1987 and it hit number one on both the Billboard Hot Country chart and the Canadian RPM Country chart.
In 1987, Randy Travis was on a roll and his 3rd single, ‘Too Gone Too Long’, from his album ‘Always and Forever’ hit number one on the country charts in late ’87 becoming his 5th number one country single. It was written by Gene Pistilli.
‘I Told You So’ became Randy Travis’ 6th number one country single of his career and the 4th in a row from his second studio album, ‘Always and Forever’ when it hit number one in June 1988. Travis also wrote the song, and it won Country Single of the Year at the 1989 American Music Awards.
On July 12, 1988, Randy Travis released his third studio album, ‘Old 8×10’. He released four singles for the album, and the first three singles, ‘Honky Tonk Moon’, ‘Deeper Than The Holler’, and ‘Is It Still Over?’ went to number one on the country charts.
‘Honky Tonk Moon’ was written by Dennis O’Rourke and was released in June 1988. It became his 7th number one country single overall and his 5th consecutive number one on the Hot Country charts.
‘Deeper Than The Holler’ hit number one on the country charts on January 28, 1989 becoming his 8th number one single overall, and 6th in a row. This was also a number one hit for songwriters Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. Apparently, if you needed a number one song in the ’80s, this was the duo to write it!
The third and last number one single from ‘Old 8×10’ was ‘Is It Still Over?’ This song was co-written by Ken Bell and Larry Henley, and it became Travis’ 7th consecutive number one song and his 9th overall.
On September 26, 1989, Randy Travis released his 4th studio album called ‘No Holdin’ Back’. He released three singles for the album, and the first single, ‘It’s Just A Matter of Time’ became his 10th number one single overall, and his last of the ’80s. As we end our look back at Randy Travis’ 10 number one country songs of the ’80s, here’s Randy Travis’ official music video for ‘It’s Just A Matter of Time’.
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