MANY moons ago I received an album from the US in LP form with the picture on the cover of a thin-faced young man with short hair with what I would describe as an unsure look on his face.

His name was Randy Ray. When I played the first track I was blown away with the rich depth of his voice. By the time I received his second offering he had changed his name to Randy Travis. The rest they say is history after million-seller followed million-seller.

Over the years he has become one of the most respected chanters in country music. If further proof be needed, his latest double CD features 32 of his greatest songs and You Ain’t Right, which was previously unreleased.

Each song is an absolute gem with my favourite being his version of the Brook Benton classic It’s Just A Matter Of Time. It is Randy Travis at his greatest.

His looks are slightly older now, but that voice is still as magnificent as it was all those years ago, perhaps a tad more mature.

Voices and looks aside, on a personal note all I have to do is remember that I’ve got a great face for radio.