Travis Tritt Biography

Travis Tritt Biography

James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963 in Marietta, Georgia) is a Grammy award-winning American country music singer-songwriter and occasional actor, more commonly known as Travis Tritt.  Starting with the debut single release of "Country Club" in 1989, Travis Tritt has charted more than thirty singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including five Number Ones. His first and third albums -- 1989's Country Club and T-R-O-U-B-L-E -- have each achieved platinum certification by the RIAA, while his albums It's All About to Change (1991), Greatest Hits: From the Beginning (1995), and My Honky Tonk History (2004) have each achieved gold status.  He has also received two Grammy Awards in his musical career, both awards for Best Country Vocal Collaboration: in 1992 for "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", a duet with Marty Stuart, and again in 1998 for "Same Old Train", a collaboration of more than ten country music artists. In addition, he has received three awards from the Country Music Association, and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Tritt continues to tour and record country music; his most recent album, The Storm, was released in 2007 on Category 5 Records.  James Travis Tritt was born in Marietta, Georgia to James and Gwen Tritt. At age 3, he received his first guitar from his father. Travis Tritt began writing music while he was still in high school; his first song composition entitled "Spend A Little Time", was written about his girlfriend about the time she broke up with him. Throughout his childhood, Tritt was obsessed with music, frequently spending hours alone in his bedroom learning to play the guitar and practicing various styles of both traditional country and southern rock songs.  By the age of 22, Tritt had been twice divorced. Single again he committed himself entirely to developing a full time music career. His breakthrough came with the release of his first album, Country Club, from which five singles were released, as well as his first No. 1 hit with "Help Me Hold On"' His second album, It's All About to Change, produced three top-3 hits: "Anymore", "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", and "Here's A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)". The song "Bible Belt" was used in the movie, My Cousin Vinny, and, for which, he composed alternate lyrics exclusively for the use of the film.  Tritt released a trilogy of music videos describing the tale of two paralyzed war veterans: Mac Singleton and his friend Al. The first is "Anymore" followed by "Tell Me I was Dreaming" and finally "If I Lost You". Tritt played the role of Mac Singleton, a wheelchair bound veteran. In "Anymore" he is reluctant to continue his relationship with Annie when he returns to his home town crippled. Then in "Tell Me I was Dreaming" he tries to rescue Annie, now pregnant, from slipping off a boat, subsequently hitting her head on the side of the dock. She dies, but their baby, Annie, survives. The third video "If I Lost You" shows what happens to Singleton and his daughter after the filming of his second video.  Tritt was accepted into membership of the Grand Ole Opry in 1992, when he was only 29.

In 1998, Tritt was in the film Blues Brothers 2000 performing in a band called the Gator Boys. He also performed a mini concert following WCW Road Wild 1998, which emanated from the Sturgis, South Dakota biker rally. Tritt was also in the 2005 remake of 2001 Maniacs as a gas clerk.  In 2002, Tritt was asked by CMT to do an episode of Crossroads, a special program allowed artists to choose who they would like to perform music with for an evening, and Tritt chose to share this opportunity and experience with Ray Charles. The night was particularly memorable for anyone familiar as Charles' had his own roots in country music. Tritt paid special tribute to Charles at the Grand Ole Opry by performing his hit single, "What' I Say" on June 3, 2006 on GAC.  Under the news section of his website, Tritt revealed that he would co-produce his next album with American Idol judge Randy Jackson. That album, titled "The Storm", was released in August 2007. Among one of the more distinctive parts on Tritt's new album is a cover version of the Canadian rock band Nickelback's song "Should've Listened", from their The Long Road album.  Tritt had two brief failed marriages by the time he was 22. He later married Theresa Nelson, a former Hooters waitress whom Tritt met at the Hooters restaurant in Dallas, Georgia, on April 12, 1997. They now reside in Hiram, Georgia, a town in which Tritt has a highway named for him. Together, they have three children: daughter Tyler Reese (born February 18, 1998), and sons Tristan James (born June 16, 1999) and Terian Nathaniel (born November 20, 2003).  In March 2007, a concert promoter in the Pittsburgh area sued Tritt, claiming he had committed to play a show but then backed out and signed on to play a competing venue. Tritt's manager denied he had ever signed a contract with the promoter.   For a limited time, Apple introduced the MacBook: Travis Tritt edition, to commemorate Tritt's new album. The computer comes with a free copy of The Storm. This was not an Apple introduced MacBook available to the general public.  Tritt released his newest album, The Storm on Category 5 Records on August 21, 2007. The first single from the disc was "You Never Take Me Dancing", written by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Richard Marx, and originally released on Marx's 1997 album titled Flesh and Bone. In December of 2007, Tritt filed a $10 million lawsuit against Category 5, because the label had failed to pay royalties on the album, and failed to give him creative control on The Storm.