Scott Travis

**Scott Travis** is an American drummer who plays in the bands Racer X and Judas Priest. Travis was the third drummer in Racer X, replacing Todd DeVito for the second album and all subsequent albums since. He also wrote the drum line that inspired Paul Gilbert to write "Scarified". Travis has been the drummer of Judas Priest since 1990's *Painkiller* album.

## Early life

Scott Travis was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Since his adolescence, he had always wanted to be the drummer for Judas Priest and would often attend their shows with ploys to generate their interest in him, including allegedly playing drums in the parking lot of a concert venue in the hopes that they would see him from the tour bus. Since the band already had a drummer, these schemes were unsuccessful.

In the 1980's, Travis was playing in L.A. band Hawk with Metal Method producer Doug Marks. He was Paul Gilbert's first choice to be the drummer in Racer X, but was unavailable due to his obligation to Hawk.

## Racer X (?-1989)

After the release of *Street Lethal*, Harry Gschoesser returned to his native Austria and Racer X was once again without a drummer. Travis, now available, joined the band in 1986 and has been the drummer for Racer X ever since. Travis' addition, as well as the addition of Indiana-raised guitarist Bruce Bouillet, brought the band to new heights as they started writing for their second album.

During a rehearsal session, Travis began playing a double-bass drum beat that would eventually become the main drum line in "Scarified". Gilbert, taking note of the idea, wrote a guitar line around the drums and the final product was recorded for the next album.

*Second Heat* was released in 1987 and showcased a much more evolved iteration of Racer X. With a heavier emphasis on double bass drum techniques and guitar harmonies, the groundbreaking album shot Racer X into further popularity.

Eventually, Racer X's popularity began to stagnate and its members began looking for other projects. Paul Gilbert was the first to leave, departing with Billy Sheehan to form Mr. Big. Following Gilbert's departure, the rest of the band carried on for a brief time before playing one final show at the Omni in Oakland and breaking up amicably.

## After Racer X

Travis joined Racer X bandmates Bruce Bouillet and Juan Alderete in their next band, The Scream, in 1989. However, Travis soon received a phone call that changed his career plans. Jeff Martin, a longtime friend of fellow Phoenix local Rob Halford, was the first to hear of Judas Priest's vacant drum slot after Dave Holland's departure. Martin passed the news onto Travis, who quit The Scream before they'd even recorded their first album.

## Judas Priest

He went on to record Judas Priest's *Painkiller* album, and has served as the drummer for the band ever since. Despite his commitment to Judas Priest, he has also continued to play with Racer X whenever they re-convene.

Scott Travis was also a member of Rob Halford's band Fight alongside Russ Parrish.

## Trivia

* At 6'6", Travis is the tallest member of Racer X, beating the notoriously tall Paul Gilbert (6'4") by two inches.

## Discography

### With Racer X

* *Second Heat* (1987)
* *Extreme Volume Live* (1988)
* *Extreme Volume II Live* (1992)
* *Technical Difficulties* (1999)
* *Superheroes* (2000)
* *Live At The Whisky: Snowball Of Doom* (2002)
* *Getting Heavier* (2002)
* *Official Bootleg: Snowball Of Doom 2* (2002)

### With Judas Priest

* *Painkiller* (1990)
* *Jugulator* (1997)
* '*98 Live Meltdown* (1998)
* *Demolition* (2001)
* *Angel of Retribution* (2005)
* *Nostradamus* (2008)
* *Reedemer of Souls* (2014)
* *Firepower* (2018)

### With Fight

* *War of Words* (1993)
* *Mutations* (1994)
* *A Small Deadly Space* (1995)

## Videography

### With Racer X

* Live at the Whisky: Snowball of Doom (video)

## Tourography

### With Judas Priest

* Painkiller Tour (1990-1991)