Travis Meadows
Travis Meadows | |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
Travis Meadows (born 1965) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has released four albums and written a number of songs for other country artists.
Early life[edit]
Meadows was born in 1965 in Mississippi, growing up in Jackson.[1][2] He began using drugs at an early age,[1] and at 14 was diagnosed with bone cancer, which led to the loss of most of his right leg.[1]
Career[edit]
At the age of 16, he began playing in local bands, starting his musical career as a drummer before beginning to play the harmonica and guitar by the time he was 21.[2] During his early 20s, he performed with blues musicians such as Sam Myers, and moved to Gatlinburg, where he began writing songs.[2] In his mid-20s, Meadows became a Christian missionary and later a preacher, traveling around the United States and overseas, as well as writing and performing Christian music.[2] By his late 30s, however, he had become disenchanted with the church, and moved to Nashville to pursue a songwriting career.[2] He signed a contract with Universal Music Publishing, releasing his debut album My life 101 I'm 2007, but at the same time his life-long drinking and drug habits led to a multi-year descent into alcoholism and abuse.[1] After four trips to rehab, he succeeded in regaining sobriety in 2010.[1]
In 2011, Meadows released a studio album, titled Killin' Uncle Buzzy, written in 2010 while he was recovering from his alcohol addiction during his fourth period in rehab.[1] According to Meadows, a counselor had suggested keeping a journal, which led to him writing songs instead.[1] In 2013, after his songwriting contract with Universal expired, he began writing independently before signing with independent record label Kobalt Music and releasing a third album, Old Ghosts & Unfinished Business.[2]
In 2016, Meadows was featured in an episode of the television show American Elements.[3]
In 2017, Meadows released his fourth album, First Cigarette. The album was produced by Jeremy Spillman and assisted by Jay Joyce, and is the first album by Meadows to receive label support.[4] It is also his first album to appear on Billboard charts, reaching No. 21 on Heatseekers Albums and No. 48 on Independent Albums. It sold 1,100 copies in its debut week,[5] reaching No. 17 on Americana/Folk Album Sales and No. 34 on Country Album Sales.[6]
In April 2021, Earache Records reissued Killin' Uncle Buzzy for the record's 10th Anniversary, including a limited edition clear vinyl. This was the first time the album had been available on vinyl and released by a label.[7][8]
Discography[edit]
Albums/EPs[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Heat [9] |
US Indie [9] | |||||||
| My Life 101[10] |
|
— | — | |||||
| Killing Uncle Buzzy[11] |
|
— | — | |||||
| Old Ghosts & Unfinished Business (EP)[12] |
|
— | — | |||||
| First Cigarette |
|
21 | 48 |
| ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||
Songs recorded by other artists[edit]
In addition to his solo work, Meadows has written songs for other country musicians.
| Artist | Song | Album | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Smith | CRZY | Dallas Smith | 2023 |
| Cody Johnson | Human | Human: The Double Album | 2021 |
| Kenny Chesney | Better Boat | Songs for the Saints | 2018 |
| Blackberry Smoke | Medicate My Mind | Find A Light | 2018 |
| Blackberry Smoke | Seems So Far | Find A Light | 2018 |
| Brothers Osborne | While You Still Can | Port Saint Joe | 2018 |
| Lindsay Ell | Worth the Wait | The Project | 2017 |
| Randy Houser | Hot Beer and Cold Women | Fired Up | 2016 |
| Wynonna Judd | Things That I Lean On | Wynonna Judd & The Big Noise* | 2016 |
| Hank Williams Jr. | God And Guns | It's About Time | 2016 |
| Eric Church | Knives Of New Orleans | Mr. Misunderstood | 2015 |
| Levi Lowrey | My Crazy Head | My Crazy Head | 2015 |
| Dierks Bentley | Riser | Riser | 2014 |
| Levi Lowrey | Long Way Home | Levi Lowrey | 2014 |
| Frankie Ballard | Don't You Wanna Fail | Sunshine & Whiskey | 2014 |
| Eric Church | Dark Side | The Outsiders | 2014 |
| Jake Owen | What We Ain't Got | Days Of Gold | 2013 |
| Robby Armstrong | Better Me | Robby Armstrong | 2013 |
| Jimmie Van Zant | Chasing Shadows | Feels Like Freedom | 2012 |
| High Valley | Trying To Believe | Love Is a Long Road | 2012 |
| Blackberry Smoke | Pretty Little Lie | The Whippoorwill* | 2012 |
| Adam Brand | It's Gonna Be OK | It's Gonna Be OK* | 2010 |
| Flynnville Train | Friend Of Sinners | Redemption | 2010 |
| Jake Owen | Cherry On Top | Easy Does It | 2009 |
| Lynyrd Skynyrd | Gods & Guns | Gods & Guns | 2009 |
| Mary Gauthier | I Ain't Leaving | Between Daylight & Dark | 2007 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g "Nashville's Most Badass Songwriter Travis Meadows Shares Tragic Life Stories". Rolling Stone Country. October 8, 2015. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Exclusive: Songwriter Travis Meadows on writing Dierks Bentley's "Riser," his tragic past and finding redemption". Nashville Gab. July 16, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ "Travis Meadows : American Elements". CarbonTV. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ^ Hyman, Dan (October 13, 2017). "Why Songwriter Travis Meadows Is Nashville's Favorite Underdog". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (October 24, 2017). "TOP 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: October 24, 2017". Roughstock.
- ^ "Country Album Sales". Billboard. November 4, 2017.
- ^ "Travis Meadows - Killin' Uncle Buzzy". Discogs. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ "10th Anniversary Reissue: Killin' Uncle Buzzy - Pre-order with Earache Records!". Travis Meadows. March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "Search results: Travis Meadows". Billboard.
- ^ "My Life 101 – Travis Meadows". Amazon.
- ^ "Killin' uncle Buzzy – Travis Meadows". Amazon.
- ^ "Old Ghosts & Unfinished Business [Explicit] – Travis Meadows". Amazon.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (October 24, 2017). "TOP 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: October 24, 2017". Roughstock.