Randy Travis spearheaded the country-music revival of the mid-'80s.

Born Randy Traywick, on May 4, 1959, in Marshville, N.C., Travis was encouraged by his father to get involved with music early on. At age 10, he teamed with his brother Ricky to form the Traywick Brothers, who played at local venues.

At 16, Travis ran off to nearby Charlotte, N.C., where he began to sing and work at a bar called Country City USA. Despite some trouble with the law, Travis began recording in his late teens, helped by the bar owner Lib Hatcher.

In 1982, Hatcher and Travis moved to Nashville, where the singer continued to work as cook and singer for the club owner. Hatcher helped Travis release an independent album, Randy Ray Live, before the latter earned a recording contract with Warner Bros. Changing his name to Randy Travis, the singer struck big in 1986, when he scored a #1 single with "On the Other Hand," and the LP Storms of Life was the first album by a country artist to achieve multiplatinum status.

Travis dominated country music in the late-'80s, releasing seven consecutive #1 singles and winning the Country Music Association's Male Vocalist of the Year Award in 1987 and '88. His success slowed down a little in the '90s — with the rise of Clint Black and Garth Brooks, but he continues to sell — releasing A Man Ain't Made of Stone and its title track single last year.

Other birthdays Thursday: Al Dexter, 1902–1984, and Stella Parton, 51.