First Chapter: The Love Scandal
It was 1977 and 17-year old Randy Traywick, or now popularly known for his stage name Travis auditioned for a talent competition held at a club in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he became friends with the 33-year-old club owner Mary Elizabeth ‘Lib’ Hatcher. At that time, he already had a rap sheet – doing drugs and drunk driving. He even faced a five-year prison sentence for breaking into a convenience store. Upon hearing that, Lib convinced the judge to let Randy be released into her custody.
Lib got him, but after some time, Randy’s presence and their relationship as manager and artist strained Lib’s own marriage. To the point that Lib decided to leave her then-husband Frank and moved to Nashville with Travis. In 1984, the two became a romantic couple, but because Lib wanted to make young Travis look available to his audience and attract more fans, they kept their relationship a secret.
But they did become public about it after rumors circulated that Travis was gay. They married in 1991 until their loving relationship turned into the nastiest divorce that country music has ever seen. There had been a series of lawsuits and counter-suits after Lib also found out that Travis had been cheating on her with his dentist’s wife, Mary Beougher. The divorce was finalized in 2011.
And two years later, the controversial pair got engaged.