Watch Randy Travis Make Surprise Appearance at Cody Jinks Show
Cody Jinks was in for a surprise at a recent show in Ardmore, Okla. Country icon Randy Travis made an appearance onstage to say hello to Jinks and the crowd, right after the Texas country performer's cover of Travis' 1986 hit "Diggin' Up Bones." Press play above to watch the special moment.
Accompanied by his wife, Mary Davis, Travis showed his appreciation for the younger artist, whom he views as one of the heirs to his musical legacy: "When George Jones said, 'Who's gonna fill their shoes?' he said, Randy Travis," Davis told the crowd. "And I just wanna tell you tonight, when people ask us who is gonna fill Randy Travis' shoes, [it's] Cody Jinks."
The crowd cheered back their appreciation, chanting "Randy! Randy! Randy!" as the country legend stood onstage. However, no one was more thrilled by Travis' visit to the stage than Jinks, who took a moment during his set to explain to the audience how much the support from one of his heroes meant to him.
"I'm just glad I didn't screw up the song with him sitting right there," he commented. "When I was a kid, there were three artists I wanted to sing like: One of them was Merle Haggard. One of them was Keith Whitley. And the other was Randy Travis."
In 2018, after years as an independent act, Jinks signed with Rounder Records and released his first album, Lifers, on that label. For his part, Travis recently announced a forthcoming memoir that will detail his life story and journey to country stardom. The country legend has made several onstage appearances in support of other artists since a stroke impaired his ability to speak and walk in 2013, but has yet to fully return to performing in his own right.
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