Local talent Travis Roberts signs contract for Nashville record deal
Music lovers around these parts have certainly heard of Travis Roberts and his band, the Willing Few. He’s becoming known further away now, in places like Oklahoma City and Nashville, where his unique singing style and lyrics are catching on like wildfire. His billing says, Rough, Rowdy, Real. His tenor voice is full with a slight vibrato, strong and exciting all at the same time. It’s very addictive, according to his many fans.
Getting a record deal on your first try has about the same odds as winning the lottery. Great singers try for years and never reach that plateau. In fact, there’s a saying in Nashville, “For every light in Nashville, there’s a broken heart.” So, for a local singer to snag a contract is a big deal. The singer has to be unique and have his own style, which Roberts does.
The young troubadour has been on the music scene in some shape or fashion since he was 17, doing Open Mic at the 806 Coffee + Lounge on Sixth Street, along with other venues, mainly as “an excuse to get out of the house.” He was “okay enough to play some dinner shows and get paid,” and decided that was pretty cool. In the last three years, he has been a regular performer at Golden Light Cantina, and last year he played at the Tri-State Fair. He has also done some road shows.
To define his style is difficult, if not impossible. And, he doesn’t like to be put in a box. He’s a little bit country, a little bit rock & roll, with a pinch of bluegrass and a hint of contemporary Christian music. His music certainly defies categories. Roberts grew up in Amarillo and then moved to Tennessee for a while to live with his father. When he moved back, he lived in Canyon and graduated from Canyon High School in 2018.
His early love of music started with church choir, going with his parents, Greg Roberts and Kari (now Wardlaw). Then he picked up a guitar and, not wanting to do church hymns on it, branched into punk rock. Other influences in his music were ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers Band and even old country singers like George Jones and Bob Wills, along with Southern rock & roll.
“One of my biggest influences was playing tuba in the Canyon High School band. I got to see how all the music works together in layers,” Travis Roberts said. “One sound stacked on top of another with different instruments.” And writing has always come naturally to the talented young man. Though he played football, he also loved writing. He also studied advertising at West Texas A&M University and graduated in general studies.
“One time I was in an English class, and my teacher talked about poetry. I thought it was for sissies, but I found out it had structure and there was a science to it like a mathematical equation, and I fell in love with it,” Roberts said. He said that learning the 5/7/5 syllable construction turned into songwriting.
While his head may be in the clouds thinking about his new venture, his feet are firmly on the ground and he maintains his day job, working at Tarpley Music as an education sales representative. “I go on the road constantly, to Booker, Oklahoma, to Quanah and all over the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle, making sure the school’s band programs are up and running. My whole life is music, and I’m so grateful.”
One of his lucky breaks came when he went to the Blue Light in Lubbock to compete in a music event and won. He met Dalton Domino, a songwriter and head of Honcho Music Group. Domino had been a songwriter on the retro scene around 10 years ago, and Roberts loved his music. Domino took him under his wing and decided to show him the ropes of the business side of the music industry. “His company is run by artists, for artists,” Roberts explained. “So, they help the artists navigate the tough business part.” Eventually, Domino pitched New West Recording Studio in Nashville a few of Roberts’ new songs. The company responded and wanted to meet him and his band, the Willing Few.
In June, Roberts and his band flew to Nashville, stayed at the Super 8 motel by the airport, went with his manager to meet the New West group, performed at The Basement in Nashville (where the New West management watched), signed a contract, and flew back that night. New West wanted a 10- or 12-song deal to record in vinyl, Roberts said. He and his band flew back later and did the A-side of his record (album) and will go again in three months to record the B-side. “I never in a million years thought I’d get to do that,” he said. The company will release singles throughout the year.
Roberts has some catchy hook lines and titles including “Beans, Rice and Jesus Christ,” and “Rebel Rose,” among many others. Many of the lyrics of songs, such as "Rebel Rose," came from snippets of people’s stories in rehab, when he faced problems with addiction and took steps to get help.
The story could have ended differently for the singer-songwriter. He said that he started drinking at 12 or 13 years, and though he wasn’t drinking all the time, it changed. Especially during the pandemic, his drinking accelerated. Being isolated, away from contact with people and performing, his issues increased. By owning up to his problems, he has been able to turn his life around and remain sober since 2020, which isn’t always easy working in bars and night concerts.
“People who like your music want to buy you a drink to show their appreciation,” he said. “It’s not easy to turn them down, but I tell them to buy one for the band and they’re grateful.”
And, as icing on the cake, he recently married a local woman named Brianna and they are heading to Puerto Rico for their honeymoon soon. Brianna is Hispanic, so at their wedding they had a full Mariachi band, and now Roberts is incorporating some of their lively, spirited music into his repertoire. After they return, he will travel to the Music Fest in Steamboat Springs.
Those interested can follow him at travisrobertstx on X, Instagram or on other social media platforms including Spotify, iTunes, Pandora or YouTube.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Local talent Travis Roberts signs contract for Nashville record deal
