There's been a Randy Travis and Kane Brown mutual appreciation society for several years now, with Travis regularly attending his fellow baritone vocalist's shows.
Travis was there on Saturday (Aug. 20) at Choctaw Grand Theater in Durant, Okla., which positioned Brown to pay a special tribute to a musical hero turned friend.
Brown covered country-gospel hit "Three Wooden Crosses" with Travis onstage. By the end of Brown's true-to-the-original performance, he was seated alongside his guest of honor. Audience members joined Brown in singing the song's familiar, faith-filled chorus while Travis smiled in approval.
Travis, who has aphasia due to a 2013 stroke, capped off a gripping performance by singing the song's last word, "highway."
It wasn't Brown's first time performing the beautifully-written tale of spiritual redemption. A similar situation unfolded during an Oct. 2021 tour stop in Dallas.
"Randy was a huge help to my success, singing the songs, doing the covers — his songs, they have meaning to them," Brown told Entertainment Tonight in 2021. "He's a great storyteller."
Following its 2002 release by Warner Bros. Nashville and Word Records, "Three Wooden Crosses" became the first single co-issued by a Christian label to reach No. 1 on the country charts. The Kim Williams and Doug Johnson co-write won CMA's Song of the Year (the country music industry equivalent of a Grammy) as well as Country Song of the Year honors from the Dove Awards (the Christian music industry equivalent of a Grammy).
Brown just scored his fastest-rising No. 1 hit —and eighth chart-topper overall— with "Like I Love Country Music." It's the latest mainstream homage to '90s country, complete with a Brooks & Dunn cameo. Brown filmed its music video at the Nashville Palace: a venue that employed pre-fame Travis in the early '80s as a catfish cook.
On Sept. 9, he begins a new chapter in his career with the release of Different Man— a 17-song album co-produced by Brown and featuring Blake Shelton on the title track.
