Country music legend Randy Travis extended a helping hand to a local radio station. The “Three Wooden Crosses” singer joined forces with Midwest Communications, Inc. to launch a new country radio station in Nashville, Tennessee.
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At precisely 10 a.m. CST on Thursday morning (June 8), Hot 106.7 was transformed to “Y’all 106.7.” The first track to hit the airwaves on the ’80s and ’90s-based format was Travis’ smash hit “Forever and Ever, Amen.”
The timeless tune was initially released in March 1987, as the first single from his critically acclaimed album, Always & Forever. The single became Travis’ third No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It spent three consecutive weeks at the top of the chart.
“Forever and Ever, Amen,” was penned by Travis’ longtime collaborators, Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. Overstreet also had a hand in co-writing “On the Other Hand” and “Deeper Than the Holler” for the legend. Following the successful release, the track went on to score a Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Song in 1988. The song about commitment was also nominated for Song of the Year but lost to “Will the Wolf Survive” by Los Lobos.
Travis appeared at the Y’all 106.7 studio alongside Brand Manager Ron Allen to celebrate the station’s launch. According to a press release, Allen will take on programming responsibilities for the new brand. Allen is also the manager of Nashville’s 96.3 JACK-fm and has served as MidWest Communications DUKE FM Format Captain (classic country). Allen has helped launch numerous country stations throughout his career.
“We fully appreciate that the country format in Nashville is crowded, but we believe there is still an opportunity to serve the community and be successful in this lane,” Allen explained. “Today is a little bittersweet for our family. Midwest Communications CEO and founder Duke Wright, who recently passed away, was a huge fan of Randy Travis. ‘Forever and Ever, Amen’ was one of his all-time favorites. He would have been thrilled that Randy helped kick off Y’all 106.7.”
Photo Courtesy 117 Entertainment
