‘The Voice’ Alum James Dupre to Headline The Music of Randy Travis Tour With Country Music Icon

The Voice alum James Dupré is hitting the road with country music icon, Randy Travis! Dupré will headline The Music of Randy Travis Tour, with Travis and his wife, Mary, joining Dupré for all dates. Dupré will perform Travis’ hit songs, backed by the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s original band.

“I can’t tell you how excited we are to get back on the road again,” Travis’ wife, Mary, said at a media event announcing the tour, with Travis standing beside her. “It’s definitely a place Randy felt most at home, is on that road, with his fans. That’s what brings me so much joy.”

“The road feels like home to Randy, so being on that road is going to be probably more than we can handle,” she continued. “Just bringing back the music of Randy Travis, and getting to spend some time with some of the fans that we’ve seen before, we have grown in love and we’ve stayed in touch with. Even over the years since the stroke six years ago, they stay in touch with us, so it’s going to be so nice to be out there with them again, and let them just put their hands on him and give them a hug and enjoy his music.”

Because of Travis’ stroke, he is no longer able to perform, which makes the Grand Ole Opry member even more grateful that Dupré is willing to take the stage on his behalf.

“We’re just so honored that James Dupré will come and serve as a stand-in. He delivers his music with the same depth and devotion and demeanor that Randy does. We’ve known James for several years … He was a natural as far as someone to do a stand-in for Randy.”

Travis just released his tell-all memoir, Forever and Ever, Amen, which detailed some of the highs and lows of both Travis’ personal and professional life, including his soaring music career, his struggle with addiction and his stroke and other health issues.

“It’s good to have this story out there,” Mary told PopCulture.com after the book was released. “There’s lots of questions that people wanted answered. I feel like the book does that. It was exhausting going through the writing of it. Just emotionally and spiritually and physically, as [author Ken Abraham] will tell you. But Ken made a daunting task very tolerable.

“We laughed a lot,” she added. “We cried a lot. We spent a lot of time on the phone, in person, going through articles and magazines and pictures, and just re-creating the life of Randy Travis. That’s a challenge, because he had such a life and lived it in full color.”

Dupré was on Season 9 of The Voice, on Adam Levine’s team, with Jordan Smith declared the winner.

The Music of Randy Travis Tour will kick off on Oct. 16 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and wrap up on Nov. 2 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Find a list of upcoming shows by visiting Travis’ official website.

Photo Credit: Getty Images / Anna Webber