FOR COUNTRY SINGER Collin Raye, “music
is like breathing.” In the 1990s, Raye was a leading figure in the country
music industry, with 16 number-one hits, a total of 24 top-10 songs, and many
other honors. He began singing at the age of 7 and says his goal was always to
make it in the music business. He talked about that goal, his career, his
faith, and his advocacy when he stopped by Franciscan Media some months back
for an interview.“I wanted hit records,” he says. “I wanted my name to be
known. I wanted to perform in front of a lot of people—all the reasons a young
person wants to do this.”
Starting at the age of 15, he worked to get a record
deal. When he finally got one in 1990, Raye, now 53, says he gave glory to God and
thought, “For some reason God had kept this from me because he knew I wasn’t
ready— either professionally or mentally.”
