Nashville, Tenn. (June 12, 2013) – Randy Travis has delivered a hit with the surprise debut of the George Jones tribute song, “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum.”  The heartfelt single is now available on iTunes.  “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum” was recently recorded by the country icon and singer Joe Nichols. This is the first song from Randy’s new album that’s set to be released this fall.

“It was an honor when I received a request to record this tribute to George Jones, and after I heard how well Keith Gattis had written “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum,” I was excited to record it.  Thanks to Joe Nichols for coming in and helping on this project,” says Randy Travis.

The Grammy winner provided fans with the first public hearing of “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum” at the CMA Music Festival.  It happened during the Remembering George Jones panel session on Friday which included the legendary singer’s widow, Nancy Jones, longtime drummer Bobby Birkhead, John Rich, Jamey Johnson and host Joseph Hudak of Country Weekly.  The moving tribute generated a standing ovation among hundreds of fans. It was written by Keith Gattis.

“Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum” was part of Randy’s performance that night at LP Field.  He invited fans to take another listen at RandyTravis.com, where the single is now being streamed in its entirety.

To download “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum,” on iTunes, please visit: www.smarturl.it/possum

About Randy Travis
Warner Bros. Records has been home to Randy Travis for the majority of his recording career; and together they have accumulated lifetime sales of his music in excess of 20 million units to date.  Travis is one of the biggest record sellers in music industry history, with 18 No. 1 singles, 29 Top 10 chartings, certification of the rare quintuple platinum album (Always and Forever, released in 1987), one triple platinum album (Storms of Life, released in 1986), two double platinum’s (Old 8×10, released in 1988, and No Holding Back, released in 1989), eight platinum albums, and 10 gold albums. Randy Travis’ Anniversary Celebration CD is his latest release.  It marks his phenomenal silver milestone in the music industry, and includes a star-studded cast of collaborators.   Major industry career awards include seven GRAMMY Awards, five Country Music Association Awards (CMA), 10 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM), 10 American Music Awards (AMA), two People’s Choice Awards, and eight Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association.  He is a three-time recipient of CMA Award’s “Song of the Year’’ honors (“On The Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever Amen,” and “Three Wooden Crosses”).  Randy Travis has appearances in more than 40 feature film productions and major television projects to his credit.  In 2004, he was honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  In the midst of every major career award and accolade, he considers his honored induction as a member of the famed Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville, in 1986, as a shining highlight of his first 25 years of legendary accomplishments.

About Joe Nichols
In his young career, Nichols has received four Grammy nominations, won every conceivable “best new artist” award and had the New York Times name his CD Real Things one of the best recordings of the year in all musical genres. The Rogers, Arkansas native literally burst onto the country music scene with two back to back #1 hit singles, “The Impossible” and Brokenheartsville,” and from that point began loading his trophy case with awards, honors and accolades. The hits kept coming as well with songs like “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,” “Gimmie That Girl,” “If Nobody Believed In You,” “What’s A Guy Gotta Do,” “Size Matters,” and “I’ll Wait For You” cracking the upper echelons of the country music charts. Nichols’ body of work maintains an impressive quality and standard. While paying tribute to those influences that came before him, like George Jones, the music has always had a fresh and modern feel.  “Sunny and 75,” his debut single for new imprint Red Bow Records, carries on that tradition.