Chapel Hart's Trea Swindle Recalls the Time She "Just About Died" After Meeting a Country Music Icon

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Recently, we caught up with country trio Chapel Hart, who graciously made time to chat with us while on the road for their Glory Days Tour. One of our burning questions: "Of all the country music icons you've gotten to meet since your big breakthrough, which encounter has meant the most to you?"

For Danica Hart, that was Big & Rich. For her sister, Devynn Hart, that was Gretchen Wilson, whom she got to meet for her birthday. But as for their first cousin Trea Swindle? Well, she told us the story of meeting one of the biggest country music names of all time, but she had to take us back to before the band's breakthrough on America's Got Talent and the whirlwind of fame since.

"I’m going to go back to before hardly anybody knew who we were—the very first time we were invited to be guests at the CMT Artists of the Year awards, three or four years ago now," Swindle said.

"Maybe we’re just easily amused, or maybe we’re just three bumpkins from Mississippi, but we had the time of our lives there. You see people on the red carpet, you’re supposed to be all demure and professional with a soft smile, and we’re like, 'Oh my god it’s Little Big Town!' and then try to keep our composure."

But the biggest moment of the night, Swindle said, came as everybody was leaving and everything was shutting down. That's when the band encountered none other than Country Music Hall of Fame legend Randy Travis with his wife and assistant. (Travis, 64, suffered a major stroke in 2013, but since his recovery he has continued to make the occasional appearance on the red carpet and on stage).

Upon seeing the Chapel Hart trio, Travis's assistant stopped and said, "Oh, Mr. Travis, this is a new up-and-coming group," recalled Swindle, and that's when Travis gave the band the surprise of a lifetime.

"Randy Travis doesn’t really speak much," Swindle continued. "But he used his strength and cut his assistant off. 'Uh-uh, I know who they are,' he said. All three of us just about died. We were like, 'Why do you know us, Mr. Travis?!'"

Now, Chapel Hart has come a long way since that encounter, from their four-ovation Grand Ole Opry debut last fall to their CMA Awards performance this spring, not to mention the release of their third album, Glory Days, in May. But finding out Randy Travis knows who you are? That would rank among our top life moments too (forever and ever, amen).

You Might Also Like

• 70 Impressive Tiny Houses That Maximize Function and Style

• 30+ Paint Colors That Will Instantly Transform Your Kitchen