Randy Travis Remembers Ralph Emery: ‘He Was There for Me Until the End’
Randy Travis was among the many country artists who turned out to honor Ralph Emery after the broadcasting legend and Country Music Hall of Famer died on Saturday (Jan. 15).
In a post to his Twitter, Travis remembers Emery as a luminous, supportive personality who boosted his career as a young artist in the format.
"His influence and belief in me proved to be a game-changer in my career. The namesake of the Ralph Emery show gave me the confidence to 'run, not walk' down the path that I had chose," Travis reflects in a lengthy remembrance. "He elevated me in Nashville with the grit and the gift to succeed in the country music genre. Mr. Emery was there for me in the beginning; and he was there for me until the end."
In addition to Emery's impact on his own career as an up-and-comer, Travis also spoke to the multitude of ways in which the broadcaster left his mark on Music City and country music as a whole.
"I'm sure his motto was 'You can't use up kindness,'" the singer continues. "Ralph Emery affected Nashville, country music and countless lives with kindness, devotion and encouragement like no one ever has...or ever will again.
Travis also shared a link to one of his many interviews with Emery: A 1987 appearance on the Nashville Network talk show, Nashville Now, which Emery helmed from 1983 to 1993. It was one of several TV slots that Emery occupied over his lengthy career; as Travis mentions in his post, he also hosted his own the Ralph Emery Show on what was then known as WSM Television (now WSMV), and he was the host of nationally syndicated show Pop! Goes the Country from 1974 to 1980.
During his decades-long career as a radio broadcaster and TV host, Emery interviewed many of the biggest names in the genre as well as fostering the careers of up-and-comers in the country music industry. He was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
According to a statement from his family, Emery died peacefully at Nashville's Tristar Centennial Medical Center, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 88 years old.