“There are honest country-music songwriters in Nashville,
and then there’s Travis Meadows…” – Rolling Stone Country
Acclaimed hit songwriter Travis Meadows will perform at 3rd & Lindsley on October 24 in celebration of his highly anticipated upcoming release First Cigarette (out October 13 via Blaster Records). An accomplished songwriter whose material has been cut by high profile artists like Eric Church, Dierks Bentley and Jake Owen, Meadows is overwhelmingly recognized by his peers as a master of his craft and an unforgettable live performer. Equally powerful is Meadows’ incredible personal story and how it has shaped his music: “I’m an orphan who turned into a preacher, a preacher who turned into a songwriter, a songwriter who turned into a drunk, and a drunk that is learning to be a human being.” Hear the first single from First Cigarette, the gritty, Springsteen-inspired “Pray For Jungleland” via Rolling Stone Country.
In spite of years of personal chaos, First Cigarette paints a bright outlook, reflecting where Meadows is currently at in his life. Building on themes of recovery and survival, Meadows delves deep into topics including the healthy expression of emotion (“Sideways”) to finding contentment where you are in life (“First Cigarette”) to the quest for satisfaction in (“Hungry”). Produced by long-time friend and fellow accomplished songwriter Jeremy Spillman with award-winning Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town, Brandy Clark, Amos Lee) serving as executive producer, the album’s sound is sparse, and raw, very similar to what you’d hear at Meadows’ live show.
Raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Meadows endured physical and emotional pain at an early age, coping with abandonment by his parents, the loss of a sibling, and a near-death experience with cancer at only 14. While music was his sanctuary, drugs and alcohol became his crutch as he laid the foundation for his musical career at local blues bars in his hometown. Despite success as a songwriter in the world of Christian music and, later, the world of country, Meadows’ spiral of self-destruction continued until 2010 when he hit an all-time low. Between jail and rehab, Meadows began a journal for his counselor, which transformed into the stunning collection of songs Killin’ Uncle Buzzy. The album, which now has an almost cult-like following “changed everything” in Meadows’ words. The brutal honesty of his writing connected with other songwriters, publishers and artists, and in the next two years he scored album cuts with huge artists as he maintained his new-found sobriety.
Travis Meadows’ story of survival and success is inspirational and his songwriting connects deeply to those who have listened or even more so, can relate.