Travis plans autobiography

Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins, will put the memoir, "Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life," on May 4.

Travis talks about everything from a troubled, working-class childhood in North Carolina to the Country Music Hall of Fame; from a broken marriage to a miraculous daily recovery from viral cardiomyopathy, flatlining, massive stroke and coma. Travis wrote the book with Ken Abraham.

"I didn't really feel I had a book to write until I stood on the distant shore and looked back over the ripples my life has made on myself and on others. My songs were the stories of my life and I learned from those who listened, they were theirs too. My fans inspired me and continue to do so," said Travis

He recounts his troubled youth full of drinking and stealing cars, a tense relationship with his father and his life in music and acting.

"I learned a lot about myself going back through the chronicles of my past. In my waning years of ability, I have a clearer picture of the past. It's an interesting game of patience to sit and wait for the clocks of time to expose so much," said Travis. "As the candle burns, it is time to share the history that made me who I am, tell the backstory to some of my songs, give insight to the challenges I faced, and reflect on the blessings through it all."