Randy Travis dedicates ‘Horses in Heaven’ to the victims of the Washington DC aerial crash

The song is Travis’ second in a year

A year in the making brings the launch of Randy Travis’ new single, “Horses In Heaven” amidst a heavy week for many. Travis dedicates the single to a Warner Music executive who died this week and the 67 people who were killed when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet while the plane was descending to land at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC on Tuesday night.

The song, penned by Jon Randall and Matt Nolen, had quite the journey to Country Music Hall of Famer, Travis. It’s a perfect fit for the artist who has been horseback since he was a baby. Harold Traywick, Randy’s late father, was a renowned horse trainer in North Carolina and ensured that his children inherited his skills.

Randy Travis addressed the heaviness of the moment in a statement on his social media, yesterday (Thurs, Jan 30th). “This has been an incredibly hard 24 hours. Last night, many souls were lost in the horrific plane crash in Washington, D.C. and this morning, we lost a dear member of our country music and Warner Music family, publishing giant Ben Vaughn. My prayers are with all of the people affected by these losses, including members of our team,” he writes. “Tomorrow’s song release, ‘Horses In Heaven’ feels like a timely reminder of God’s love and mercy and I hope it brings some comfort to those of us hurting through these tragedies. We have decided to continue with this release and promotion of it, but felt remiss to not share what’s on my heart right now… God Bless Ben, the victims of last night’s crash and all who are feeling the heaviness of this moment.”

“Horses in Heaven” follows last year’s release of Where That Came From,” which marked the neotraditionalist’s first charted song in two decades. The song made history as Travis authorized his longtime producer Kyle Lehning to use a revolutionary AI-powered voice model to release his first new music in over a decade. With the help of two amazing songwriters John Scott Sherrill and Scotty Emerick, Lehning, the musicians who helped make his songs so iconic for decades of recording and special guest vocalist James Dupré, provided a new musician credit “vocal bed” for the song.

Travis is a titan of country music – a “Mt. Rushmore of Country Music” figure for countless artists who have stood in his footsteps. His music continues to resonate with today’s listeners just as it did when he first hit the airwaves in 1986. His latest RIAA certification proves that enduring impact – his 2002 single “Three Wooden Crosses” earned platinum of one million sales in July 2024. His signature sophomore album – the astounding five-time platinum Always & Forever – features the double-platinum single “Forever and Ever, Amen” while Travis’ debut genre-altering album Storms of Life is certified triple platinum and sits alongside two double platinum, four platinum, and four gold albums, in addition to numerous single certifications. Travis set and maintained many sales pinnacles – like the most weeks at No. 1 of any country album – that has only been beaten by names like Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, and more recently, Taylor Swift, Luke Combs, and Morgan Wallen.

This year, fans can catch him on the road with Dupré on vocals for the More Life Tour, a musical celebration of Randy Travis with his original band and all of the hits.