Humphrey returns to roots with latest CD

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
GUITAR MAN — Travis James Humphrey, originally from Houlton, belts out one of his new songs from his latest CD, “Dirty Beautiful World,” during a release party in Houlton Saturday afternoon at Northern Musical Supply. The talented singer and songwriter is hoping to bring his country music to a national audience.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — Travis James Humphrey has big dreams and a big voice to back it up.
    A native of Houlton, Humphrey was back home to his roots over the weekend celebrating the release of his latest CD, “Dirty Beautiful World,” with a release party at Northern Musical Supply in Hodgdon. The event marked his third CD release in the past eight years.
    Humphrey continued a tradition of donating the first $500 in album sales to the Houlton Humane Society.
    A 1995 graduate of Houlton High School, Humphrey confessed he gets more nervous playing in Houlton than any other location.
    “Every time I play up here I get wicked nervous,” Humphrey said. “This is home for me. It’s my refuge. I don’t care if people in other places don’t like my music, but I want the folks at home to be proud of me.”
    Humphrey grew up in a musical family. His father Tim was an avid guitar player in local bands, and often brought his son along to play. His mother, Dorene, also has a musical background as a singer.
    “That was when I really started developing my chops,” he said. “Dad would drag me up on stage and that’s when I learned the nuts and bolts of working a stage.”
    His debut solo CD, “Yellow Cat Blues,” was released in August 2002. His second CD, “Cowgirl Romance,” was released in July of 2006.
    “Music is the one thing that I feel I really do well with,’ Humphrey said. “To be able to do that for a living, it doesn’t get much better than that. It’s a blessing and I feel crazy-lucky being able to do it.”
    It’s his latest collection of songs, however, which he is most excited about, because it is collaboration with Johnny Hiland, a native of Woodland, who now resides in Nashville, Tenn. and has performed with numerous artists in his career as well.
    “Johnny is one of the top session guitar players in Nashville,” Humphrey said. “When we met, and got to know each other, he [Hiland] said he had a vision for my next record and wanted to produce it.”
    Growing up listening to classic country artists like Willie Nelson and the Oak Ridge Boys, Humphrey’s music is deeply rooted in “old school” country music. With a voice that sounds part-Travis Tritt and part-Gary LeVox (of Rascal Flatts), Humphry’s music is a combination of old-fashioned country/western with a twinge of blue-rock. From the opening track, “Back End of the Rainbow,” a rocking-blues tune similar to some of Garth Brooks’ early work, Humphrey’s music is likely to strike a chord with the old-fashioned country purists.
    The second track “New Day,” has a more modern-alternative pop sound, reminiscent of the Daniel Powter song “Bad Day.” It’s bouncy, fun and sure to find one tapping along to the rhythm.
    Humphrey hits his stride with the third track, “Dirty Beautiful World,” showcasing a range in both songwriting and vocal performance.
    Humphrey closes out his CD with a remake of the Dick Curless classic, “Tombstone Every Mile,” that is both updated, and yet true to the original.
    “I don’t always write true situations or stories,” he said. “I try to take pieces of my experiences and ask myself ‘Will this connect with people?’ If it does, than I guess I did OK.”
    Humphrey’s resume is impressive. He’s opened for Ricky Skaggs, Roy Clark, Chill Chinnock and B.B. King to name a few during concerts in Maine.
    According to the bio on his website (www.travisjameshumphrey.com), Humphrey achieved national exposure at the age of 11 with the American Boychoir School. During his time with the American Boychoir, he traveled to three countries, 26 states, and shared the staged with Ladysmith Black Mambaazo, John Williams, Pete Seeger, and other world-renowned musicians.
    During high school, Humphrey honed his performance skills with his father’s various bands in the roadhouses and honky-tonks of northern Maine. Following high school, the United States Air Force was quick to enlist Humphrey as a bandsman, and Travis was again touring both nationally and internationally as the lead singer/frontman/guitarist of the Air Force’s premier country-music band, Silver Wings.
    His time with the Air Force ended in September 2002, and since then he has been traveling throughout the state of Maine, up and down the East Coast, and as far as Hawaii and Belize, singing for anyone who will listen.
    Writing songs is something that comes naturally for Humphrey. He recalls the first song he wrote was a tune for his grandfather.
    “I don’t remember what it was at all,” he said. “I’m sure it was horrible, but he was awfully nice about it.”
    Humphrey cites Travis Tritt and Jimmy Buffet as some of his major influences and those influences shine through in a number of songs about drowning one’s sorrows in with a beverage.
    “I’d like to think that my music is based in country’s roots,” he said. “I have respect for anybody who has worked hard enough to make it onto the national stage in the industry. My heart, though, is in the older type music. I wanted this album to be contemporary enough so people would want to buy it, and yet have it’s roots in the older stuff.”
    Humphrey and his wife, fellow HHS graduate Shonna (Milliken) Humphrey, reside in Gorham. The couple plan to relocate, part-time, to the Nashville area so that he can further pursue his musical career. To hear more of Humphry’s music or to purchase his CD, visit his website www.travisjameshumphrey.com.