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NASHVILLE – September 30, 2021 – CMT today announced country music legend Randy Travis will be honored with the “Artist of a Lifetime” award presented by The Ram Truck Brand at this year’s “CMT Artists of the Year” event. Travis will join the illustrious ranks alongside previous “Lifetime” honorees including Reba McEntire (2019), Loretta Lynn (2018), Shania Twain (2016), Kenny Rogers (2015) and Merle Haggard (2014). The 2021 “CMT Artists of the Year” celebration will air LIVE from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Wednesday, October 13 at 9p/8c on CMT. The award comes as Travis celebrates 35 years of his debut album, Storms of Life, with Friday's release of a deluxe edition offering three never-before-heard songs and remastered versions of the ten iconic original tracks.

"To think you receive a Lifetime Achievement award for sharing your heart with the world through music is really beyond words of gratitude. CMT has been so good to me throughout my career and I'm happy they believe I gave something in return. I'm blessed and most thankful," shared Randy Travis.

“It is a privilege to announce Randy Travis as the recipient of this year’s CMT Artist of a Lifetime award. His historic career encompassing multiple genres illuminates his extraordinary talent, determination, and lasting influence on country music and beyond,” said Leslie Fram, Senior Vice President, Music & Talent, CMT. “Randy’s unmistakable, traditional country sound has shaped multiple generations and we’re honored to celebrate this deserved lifetime honor with him.”

The 90-minute special returns to its original format after adapting last year to honor some of the most vital and inspirational Americans on the frontlines of the pandemic. Travis will join the live show alongside previously announced 2021 honorees Chris Stapleton, Gabby Barrett, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini and Luke Combs alongside recently-announced “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” Mickey Guyton. The 2021 “CMT Artists of the Year” ceremony will feature never-before-seen performances and collaborations, with special guests, performers and presenters to be announced in the coming weeks. 

With lifetime sales in excess of 25 million, Randy Travis is one of the biggest multi-genre record sellers of all time and a recent inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame class of 2016. His honors include seven Grammy Awards, 11 Academy of Country Music statuettes, 10 American Music Awards, two People’s Choice awards, seven Music City News awards, eight Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association and five Country Music Association honors. In addition, three of his performances earned CMA Song of the Year honors: “On the Other Hand” (1986), “Forever and Ever Amen” (1987) and “Three Wooden Crosses” (2002). To date, he has 23 No. 1 singles, 31 Top-10 smashes and more than 40 appearances in feature films and television shows to his credit. Four of his albums are Gold Records. Four are Platinum. One has gone Double Platinum. One is Triple Platinum and another is Quintuple Platinum. In 2004, Randy was honored with his own star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is honored on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, TN. He has been a member of the cast of the Grand Ole Opry since 1986. In 2017, Randy was honored with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds™ Nashville. Since his near fatal stroke in 2013, with the help of his wife Mary and rigorous physical therapy, Randy continues to make improvements in his speaking, walking, and yes, singing. With the help of author Ken Abraham, he released his critically-acclaimed memoir in 2019, Forever and Ever, Amen. Randy recently released the remastering of his historic debut album Storms Of Life (35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition). For more information, please visit RandyTravis.com.

Travis has had a storied history with CMT, including headlining an unforgettable episode of CMT’s critically acclaimed music series “CMT Crossroads” in 2012 with The Avett Brothers, which was also nominated for a CMT Music Award that same year. He additionally appeared in “CMT Cross Country'' alongside Josh Turner and served as a mentor for CMT’s talent search “Music City Madness” in 2008. 

The 2021 “CMT Artists of the Year” is executive produced by CMT’s Margaret Comeaux, Switched On Entertainment’s John Hamlin and Amy Lin Johnson. The Executives in Charge of Production are Jackie Barba and Heather D. Graffagnino. Leslie Fram is Executive in Charge of Talent; Shanna Strassberg is Talent Producer. 

For more information, visit CMT.com, follow @CMT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok, use hashtag #CMTAOTY and ‘like’ CMT Artists of the Year on Facebook.

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About CMT:
CMT is the leading authority on country music and lifestyle, offering a mix of original series, music events and specials. CMT is everywhere its fans are, including two cable channels (CMT and the 24-hour music channel, CMT Music), radio (CMT Radio), digital (CMT.com) and social (@CMT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok). CMT is a unit of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC) (“ViacomCBS”). For more information, please visit cmtpress.com.

About Ram Truck Brand

In 2009, the Ram Truck brand launched as a stand-alone division, focused on meeting the demands of truck buyers and delivering benchmark-quality vehicles. With a full lineup of trucks, the Ram 1500, 2500/3500 Heavy Duty, 3500/4500/5500 Chassis Cab, ProMaster and ProMaster City, the Ram brand builds trucks that get the hard work done and families where they need to go. Ram is the number one brand in new vehicle quality and is the only truck-exclusive brand to ever finish first in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study (2021), which tracks new vehicle performance over the first three months of ownership. In the same study, Ram Heavy Duty models also scored best, making Ram the number-one truck brand in new vehicle quality among large heavy-duty pickups. Ram is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Press contacts:

Ali Marszalkowski, Ali.Marszalkowski@viacomcbs.com

Rebecca Lawlor, Rebecca.Lawlor@viacomcbs.com