THE AVETT BROTHERS AND RANDY TRAVIS MEET FOR AN ALL-NEW EPISODE OF THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ‘CMT CROSSROADS’ PREMIERING NOVEMBER 23

Nashville, Tenn. (October 10, 2012) – Folk artists The Avett Brothers will share the stage with country music legend Randy Travis when CMT presents an all-new episode of CMT CROSSROADS.  Meeting and collaborating for the first time on the CMT CROSSROADS stage in Nashville, The Avett Brothers and Randy Travis will perform some of Travis’ most famous hits, along with some of The Avett Brothers most memorable tunes including some from their current album, The Carpenter.  CMT CROSSROADS: THE AVETT BROTHERS AND RANDY TRAVIS premieres Friday, November 23 at 11:00 p.m., ET/PT.

In 2001, banjoist Scott Avett and guitarist Seth Avett formed The Avett Brothers with standup bass player Bob Crawford. Growing up in Concord, NC, the boys immersed themselves in their musician dad's record collection, falling in love with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Since then, they've become genre stalwarts over the course of six albums, including 2007's acclaimed Emotionalism and their 2009 major label debut on American Recordings, I and Love and You. Most recently, their seventh full-length album and first for the joint venture between American and Republic Records, The Carpenter, debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 with first-week sales of 98,000. It also hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Rock chart and iTunes Rock chart. Critical acclaim has poured in for the record from the likes of Rolling Stone, People, USA Today, and more. Produced by the legendary Rick Rubin and recorded in North Carolina and Malibu, The Carpenter is an artful distillation of classic homegrown folk, rock energy, bluegrass soul and pop charm.

Warner Bros. Records has been home to Randy Travis for the majority of his recording career; and together they have accumulated lifetime sales of his music in excess of 20 million units to date.  Travis is one of the biggest record sellers in music industry history, with 18 No. 1 singles, 29 Top 10 chartings, certification of the rare quintuple platinum album (Always and Forever, released in 1987), one triple platinum album (Storms of Life, released in 1986), two double platinum’s (Old 8x10, released in 1988, and No Holding Back, released in 1989), eight platinum albums, and 10 gold albums. Randy Travis' Anniversary Celebration CD is his latest release.  It marks his phenomenal silver milestone in the music industry, and includes a star-studded cast of collaborators.   Major industry career awards include seven GRAMMY Awards, five Country Music Association Awards (CMA), 10 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM), 10 American Music Awards (AMA), two People’s Choice Awards, and eight Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association.  He is a three-time recipient of CMA Award’s “Song of the Year’’ honors (“On The Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever Amen,” and “Three Wooden Crosses”).  Randy Travis has appearances in more than 40 feature film productions and major television projects to his credit.  In 2004, he was honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  In the midst of every major career award and accolade, he considers his honored induction as a member of the famed Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville, in 1986, as a shining highlight of his first 25 years of legendary accomplishments.       

CMT CROSSROADS is produced by Tom Forrest and Kathryn Russ.  John Hamlin, Margaret Comeaux and Bill Flanagan serve as executive producers.