Travis is a popular musical group from Scotland. The name of the group is similar to a common male name. Many people think that it belongs to one of the participants, but no.
The composition deliberately veiled their personal data, trying to draw attention not to persons, but to the music they create. They were at the pinnacle of fame, but chose not to race out of creative impulses.
The emergence of the Travis team
One day in 1990, Andy Dunlop, while relaxing in a Glasgow pub, caught himself thinking that it would be nice to organize his own musical group. Looking at the performance of the guys on stage, he understood that he could do no worse. The young man studied at an art college, was well acquainted with music. Looking for like-minded people among his friends, Andy by 1991 gathered the necessary composition.
Initially, Andy and his comrades performed under the name Family, but soon the guys found out that a band with that name already exists. Members of the group thought for a long time about the new name. They tried different options, but settled on Glass Onion.
For some time the group existed with this name, then became Red Telephone Box. The band was later renamed Travis. The name was coined, referring to the name of the protagonist of the film "Paris, Texas". This option has become final.
The composition of the Travis team
The initiator of the creation of the group was Andy Dunlop. He played the guitar. Soon Fran Healy joined the band. The guy also played the guitar, composed and performed songs. The young man already had experience of participating in another group. It was he who contributed to the emergence of the version of the team that everyone knows now.
The guys were quickly joined by Neil Primrose, who owned the drums. The band was completed by the Martin brothers, who were later replaced by final bassist Dougie Payne. Out of the whole team, he had nothing to do with music, he never played an instrument, but attended all the performances of the guys. The young man was quickly taught everything, he became an excellent companion.
"Travis": The beginning of the creative path
Like most musical groups, the beginning of the creative path of Travis was far from successful. The guys gathered in the pub, where they were allowed to perform. In 1993, the band members recorded several demo versions of their songs, and later matured to create their first single. After that, the activity almost stopped. Fran Healy seriously took care of his professionalism, began to train hard, right up to working out the visual picture, which is visible from the side when playing the guitar.
"Warming up" before the start of a career
In 1996, the same Fran Healy started looking for opportunities for promotion. He borrowed some money from his mother, hired a manager. A man with experience showed the guys the right way. That is, to release a new album in a small circulation, distribute records on radio, television, and representatives of record companies. This is how the album "All I Want To Do Is Rock" appeared.
Radio Scotland based on the provided materials created a short program dedicated to the band Travis. Luckily, the American sound engineer Nico Bollas heard the program. The latter turned to the guys with an offer to work with them. Travis agreed, corrected the nuances on the recommendation of a new friend.
Soon the group gave a concert in Edinburgh. At this performance, the guys were noticed by a representative of the Sony recording studio. The group was advised to move to London.
Real career start
The guys seized on the idea of a real career, which is impossible in the provinces. They moved to London, rented a house for four on the outskirts of the city. Friends began to perform in the clubs of the capital and the surrounding area.
Soon, a tiny article was written about the group in the newspaper, then they were invited to participate in a television program. Thus they were noticed by Andy MacDonald. He was just about to start his own label. Travis became his first wards. The team quickly moved from provincial clubs to the best institutions of the capital, began to perform as an opening act for the stars.
Recording the first album
In 1997, Travis recorded their first full length single. Soon it was decided to make a debut album, but could not find a suitable studio. The guys went to America. In just 4 days, the group completed all the work live.
The album "Good Feeling" instantly appeared in the Top 40, occupying positions within the top ten. At the end of the year, the group was nominated for the Brit Awards for the best performance and as a breakthrough.
Further development of popularity
After their debut album, the band's popularity skyrocketed. In 1998, the guys held their first concert tour, after which they went into the shadows for six months, working on a new record.
The Man Who was the band's first real success. Leading lines were occupied by all 4 singles, the record itself stayed at the 1st position for a long time, and Travis' popularity went beyond the UK.
In 2000, the team went to conquer America, they quickly succeeded. After that, they recorded their third, most cheerful album. After the song "Sing" they started talking about the group even in Russia. The fourth Travis album turned out to be, on the contrary, the darkest and heaviest, but no less popular than the others.
A lull in musical activity
In 2002, the band's drummer seriously injured his spine in a fall during a concert. The group dutifully awaited his recovery. There was talk about the collapse of the team, but nothing happened. In 2004, the group released a collection of hits and disappeared for a long time. Until 2007, Travis almost did not give concerts. The group members admitted that each of them had their own reason for the lull, which had to be dealt with, and this takes time.
Resumption of activity and a new recession
Contrary to rumors, in 2007 Travis still made themselves known. They released their fifth album "Ode to J.Smith", and in early 2008 the next album appeared. The guys explained this by the fact that a lot of working material had accumulated during the downtime.
After that, there was again a long break in the activities of Travis. This time it dragged on for as much as 5 years. The guys gathered for small performances, most often these were various festivals. During this period, Fran Healy released his solo album.
The group recorded several new songs, but the first new joint album appeared only in 2013 under the name "Where You Stand". After that, the group showed the result of their studio work in 2016 with "Everything at Once", and then in 2020 with "10 Songs". Travis no longer seek to capture the maximum attention of the public, they bathed in the rays of glory, ready to work in a calm rhythm.
