Rhett Akins

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Thomas Rhett Akins (born October 13, 1969 in Valdosta, Georgia) is an American country music artist. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for the label (1995's A Thousand Memories and 1996's Somebody New), followed by 1998's What Livin's All About on MCA Nashville. Friday Night in Dixie was released in 2002 on Audium Entertainment, and a fifth album was recorded for BNA Records, People Like Me, was never released. Overall, Akins's albums have accounted for fourteen singles on the Billboard country singles charts, including the Number One "Don't Get Me Started" from 1996.

Biography

This section requires expansion.

Rhett Akins was born on October 13, 1969 in Valdosta, Georgia.^[2] By age eleven, he and his two younger brothers had formed a band. In 1992, after performing in the theme park show "Music Country Music" at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, Akins moved to Nashville, Tennessee, first working as a demo singer before Decca Records signed him to a recording contract. In 1989 Akins married former wife Paige, with her he has two children, daughter Kasey Lee and son Thomas Rhett.

Akins's first single was "What They're Talkin' About", a #35 on the Billboard country charts in late 1994, followed by the #36 "I Brake for Brunettes". After these first two singles came his signature song, "That Ain't My Truck". This was his breakthrough hit, peaking at #3 on the country charts in mid-1995. All three of these songs were included on his 1995 debut album A Thousand Memories, which also produced the #17 "She Said Yes". Also in 1995 and 1996, Akins toured with Reba McEntire.^[2]

Akins' second album, Somebody New, produced his only Number One hit in "Don't Get Me Started", which peaked in August 1996. The other three singles from Somebody New were less successful, however, with "Love You Back" (the second single) becoming his last Top 40 hit at #38.

After Decca's Nashville division was merged into MCA Nashville in 1997, Akins was transferred to MCA Nashville for the release of his third album, 1998's What Livin's All About. This album was even less successful, however, with its lead-off single "More Than Everything" falling one space short of Top 40 in the U.S., although it was a #25 hit on the RPM country charts in Canada. Also in 1998, Akins charted with a cover of Eddie Rabbitt's 1980 Number One hit "Drivin' My Life Away", which Akins covered on the soundtrack to the 1998 film Black Dog.

A fourth album, Friday Night in Dixie, was released in 2002 on Koch Records. This album's only two singles, "Highway Sunrise" and "In Your Eyes", peaked at #55 and #57, respectively. Akins did not release another single until his signing with BNA Records in 2006, when he released the #57-peaking "Kiss My Country Ass". It was included on his album People Like Me, which was originally to have been released via BNA but was ultimately self-released in 2007.

Akins has found success as a songwriter, co-writing Brooks & Dunn's 2008 single "Put a Girl in It" and Jack Ingram's 2009 single "Barefoot and Crazy",^[3] as well as album cuts for Chris Cagle, Blake Shelton, Jake Owen, and Rodney Atkins. He also self-released the album Down South in 2008.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

• Official website
• Secondary Website