Three Years After Stroke, Randy Travis Gives God Glory with Rendition of 'Amazing Grace'

Oct 17, 2016 11:58 AM EDT

Three years after surviving a debilitating stroke, country legend Randy Travis gave all the glory to God, wowing the crowd during his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame with a rendition of "Amazing Grace".

The "Three Wooden Cross" singer, who was inducted Sunday along with fiddler Charlie Daniels and record producer Fred Foster, has been virtually unable to speak since suffering a massive stroke in 2013. However, after years of rehabilitation and therapy, Travis somewhat regained his voice - and used it to honor God with a stirring rendition of the popular hymn, bringing the audience to tears.

"The lyrics weren't crisp. The melody was unsteady," reads a report from People Magazine. "But the sound was clearly, unmistakably Randy Travis. When he finished the final note, one more precious time, a deafening ovation greeted one of country music's greatest voices.

The 57-year-old country singer was honored for being the first country artist whose debut album "Storms of Life" went platinum in its first year, according to Fox News, and fellow artists including Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks and more honored the three inductees with musical tributes during Sunday's event.

Before her husband sang, Travis' wife, Mary Davis-Travis, shared how God spared the country singer's life after a viral infection caused his stroke.

"Randy stared death in the face, but death blinked," she said. "Today God's proof of a miracle stands before you."

She continued: "After spending the months in the hospital when they really said there was no hope, go ahead and pull the plug, I went to his bedside, and I said, 'Baby, you've gotta give me some more fight,'" Davis recalled. "And I knew that he had had a little talk with Jesus, because he squeezed my hand, and a little tear fell down, and I knew that he wasn't through yet.

"He's a wonderful man, a wonderful husband, and I'm blessed beyond measure to get to walk beside him," she added.

In November of 2014, Davis revealed that her husband was starting to write again and hadn't lost his ability to play guitar. Speaking on Sunday, she said that she and her husband still sing to each other every day, and discussed how the country singer's faith has allowed him to carry on despite overwhelming challenges.

"Randy's often said, no doubt, there have been storms in life, and he said that God Almighty has carried him through each and every one, and today makes him the man that he is," Davis noted. "He's honored beyond words to join those before him ... and the ones that, no doubt, will follow.

"He thanks God for the privilege of being able to do what he loves to do," she continued. "It doesn't seem right that he gets to sing the songs that he loves to the fans that he loves with the people that he loves, and to be honored in such a way ..."