Almost 40 years ago—on June 2, 1986—a young singer named Randy Travis released his debut studio album, Storms of Life. Although the album introduced the world to the smooth-throated baritone, whose big voice didn’t seem to fit his skinny body, it contained four songs that alone make careers: “On the Other Hand,” “1982,” “Diggin’ Up Bones,” and “No Place Like Home.” The road to Storms of Life album wasn’t a smooth one, Diane Diekman illustrates in her captivating new biography Randy Travis: Storms of Life (Illinois, June 24, 2025).
When “On the Other Hand,” written by Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet, was first released as a single in August 1985, it rose only to number 67 on the Billboard charts, stalled, and then dropped out of sight for twelve weeks. In November 1985 Travis released a song that had originally been pitched to country singer T. Graham Brown. When Travis and producer Kyle Lehning heard it, they knew it was perfect for Travis, but they decided to change the title from “1962” to “1982,” since Travis would have been only three-years-old in 1962. The single entered Billboard’s top ten in March 1986 and rose to number six. Following on this success, the duo re-released “On the Other Hand,” and it debuted on the Billboard charts at number 64. By the start of the summer of 1986, Travis—who had also won New Male Vocalist of the Year at the Academy of Country Music in April 1986—was on his way with Storms of Life.
