Randy Travis shared a heartfelt tribute to Martha Sharp, a songwriter and record label executive who helped launch the “Forever and Ever, Amen” artist’s career. Sharp died earlier this month. She was 87.
Travis remembered Sharp as “a warrior for me,” he said in his tribute to her on Tuesday (December 17). Sharp caught one of Travis’ performances at The Nashville Palace in 1984, and after that, “she allowed by 40-year career to take flight.”
“Martha Sharp believed in me, and my music, when others were concerned about its rooted traditionalism. She fought to have me heard. She remained committed and dedicated in her relentless belief that I had a voice some may want to hear,” Travis remembered. “The news of Martha’s passing left an indelible sadness in my soul. Not because she was called ‘home for the Holidays;’ but, because Nashville, and the music world, lost a behind-the-scenes legend who found the greatest joy in lifting the lives of others through the discovery of music.
“Her ear for music was incredible and deliberate. I tried to absorb as much knowledge as I could from her. I loved Martha dearly,” he continued. “When we spoke the week before she passed, though her voice was quieted by the sands of time, her parting words were, ‘We sure had fun, didn’t we? And, we left it all behind.’ As she giggled a bit, and we said our goodbyes, I somehow felt she wasn’t going to be on the other end of that line when I called again.
“My debt of gratitude owed to Martha Sharp can never be repaid. And, I’m certain that when my roll is called up yonder, she will be waiting on me…still saying nice things about me, behind my back,” he concluded. “She was my angel on this earth—thank you, Martha, for giving me the opportunity to share my love of music with the world.”
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum shared a photo from 1992 of Sharp, Travis, Kyle Lehning, Lib Hatcher and Ed Norman, in Sharp’s honor on Monday (December 16). Sharp was born in 1937 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and moved to Music City in the early 1960s. She was one of the first female vice presidents at a major record label in Nashville, Tennessee. She started her career as a songwriter, and “was instrumental” in signing and launching careers of Travis, Faith Hill and other beloved artists, per the Hall Of Fame.