Born May 4, 1959 in Marshville, North Carolina, Randy Traywick came by his love for country music honestly. In 1968, his father Harold drove to Nashville to record a self-composed song called “A Lonely Shadow.” A year later, young Randy took up the guitar himself and in short order, he and his brother Ricky cemented a duo, playing fiddler conventions, parties and Moose halls.
By age 14 though, Randy moved to a new beat, one that took him to the edge of disaster. He consumed alcohol, acid, Quaaludes and/or speed on a daily basis. The teenager broke into a van, stole from a grocery store, totaled four cars and led police on a 130 mph chase.
