Don’t bother asking Travis Linville what other careers he considered besides making music. The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist can’t even entertain the thought, responding instead with a simple “nope.”
That one-word non-sequitur speaks volumes about this Chickasha, Okla., native, revealing he never had a doubt about traveling the path that led to his new EP, Sun or Moon. It also reveals his ability to convey what’s in his heart with an economy true wordsmiths know is essential to their craft.
Linville admits didn’t he get serious about making music until he was 14, when he started studying guitar in earnest. But he played with guitars long before his fingers could even fit around a fretboard. Born into a musical family, Linville’s memories are filled with festive gatherings at which his paternal grandparents’ Linville Family Band led the sing-alongs. When he hit junior high, he started jamming with friends. In high school, he met his guitar-teaching mentor, Joe Settlemires (Texas Playboys) and found himself a weekend gig in a country cover band. Linville studied music at two Oklahoma universities, but he says, “When it was time to go student-teach as a band director, I decided I had taken my college career as far as it could go.”