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MUSIC MAN — Tim Humphrey has released a new collection of country classics.
Release party slated for June 1 in Shiretown
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — The road to musical success has had many twists and turns for Houlton native Travis James Humphrey. But no matter how many curves are in the road, Humphrey can always return to his roots.
Humphrey will do precisely that when he celebrates his latest release, “The Roadhouse Gospel Hour,” with a concert event Sunday, June 1, at 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Houlton. A $5 donation is suggested, which will benefit the church heating fund and the “Across the River” collaboration for Maine youth. Copies of his CD will be available for purchase and, as he has done in the past, the Houlton Humane Society will receive a percentage of all sales.
Also on June 1, the album will be available to download on iTunes, Amazon and other major online distributors.
With a sound that is part George Strait, part Merle Haggard and a little bit of Garth Brooks, Humphrey’s country roots shine brightly in his latest release. “The Roadhouse Gospel Hour,” is as close to old-school country as one can get.
Funded through an online “Kickstarter,” campaign with 200 pre-orders, “The Roadhouse Gospel Hour,” was part of a month-long “escape the winter” road trip he took with his wife Shonna Milliken Humphrey, through the Deep South in February. His wife is also a Houlton native and is his unofficial public relations spokesperson.
“The Roadhouse Gospel Hour” is a collection of original material, alongside Depression era songs from the public domain, sung Carter Family-style. It’s “church music for sinners who like to sleep late on Sunday mornings,” Milliken-Humphrey said.
“I wanted to break my sound down to the bare fundamentals, and to my ears, I accomplished that,” Humphrey said. “This is the first record I’ve done that just feels good to me on a basic, primal level. I’m really proud of this album.”
According to his biography, Humphrey was raised on a steady diet of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Chuck Berry, The Eagles, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. During high school, he began listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn and Otis Redding and honing his performance skills with his father’s various bands in the roadhouses and honkytonks of northern Maine. He also won “Outstanding Male Vocalist,” at the high school competition level, for the state of Maine five years in a row.
Following his high school graduation, the United States Air Force was quick to enlist Travis as a Bandsman and Medic, and Humphrey was again touring both nationally and internationally as the lead singer/front man/guitarist of the Air Force’s premier country-music band, “Silver Wings.” While in the service, he was introduced to some Jimmy Buffett and Merle Haggard deep-cuts that blew his mind.
His enlistment in the U.S. Air Force ended after eight years. Since then, he has been apprenticing with Dick Curless (by way of vinyl) and traveling throughout Maine, up and down the East Coast, and as far away as Hawaii and Belize, singing for anyone who will listen.
Humphrey has opened shows for B.B. King, Ricky Skaggs, Roy Clark, Bill Chinnock, The Don Campbell Band, Ayla Brown, Nora Jane Struthers, Steve Azar, Frankie Ballard, Jason Aldean, Michael Peterson, Andy Griggs, Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits), Entrain, Johnny Hiland, Murali Coryell, and Blackberry Smoke, both as a solo performer and as a backing guitarist for other feature performers.
He has released four studio albums as a civilian: “YellowCat Blues” (2002), “Cowgirl Romance” (2006), “Dirty Beautiful World” (2010), and his latest “The Roadhouse Gospel Hour” (2014).
“While other musicians set goals of national exposure, his goals are sleeping in his own bed and living in a healthy community of friends and family,” Milliken Humphrey said.
Hosting an album release in his native Houlton for the second time — the last was in May 2010 for the release of “Dirty Beautiful World” — Humphrey said he was looking forward to playing these songs in front of his hometown fans.
“I’m very excited to unveil the new album in Houlton,” he said. “This is where I’m from. Regardless of where I go in the world, this is always my home. To release my most personal album at home is incredibly meaningful to me. And any time I can help keep the animals fed at the shelter and the heat on at the church, I’m happy.”
For more information on Humphrey, visit his website www.travisjameshumphrey.com.
