Randy Travis had sung his signature hit “Forever and Ever, Amen” thousands of times before. But this month on the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville, at a tribute concert celebrating his 60th birthday, Mr. Travis sang just one word of it: the final “amen.” Friends and fans cheered wildly, and some cried.
Mr. Travis suffered a nearly fatal stroke in 2013. He can no longer sing in the down-home baritone that helped him sell 25 million albums, win seven Grammys, and score 16 No. 1 hits. He hasn't relearned how to read or write yet. He walks slowly, often with help from his wife Mary. He led an emotional singalong of “Amazing Grace” at his Country Music Hall of Fame induction in 2016, and showed progress singing several verses of it at a 2017 tribute concert. But in conversation, due to aphasia from the stroke, he needs to summon all his strength to put a few words together.
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