Background and career
Tracy Darrell Adkins (born January 13, 1962) known professionally as Trace Adkins, is an American country music singer and actor. Adkins made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, he has released 10 more studio albums and two greatest hits compilations. In addition, Adkins has charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard country music charts, including the number-one hits "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing", "Ladies Love Country Boys", and "You're Gonna Miss This", which peaked in 1997, 2007, and 2008, respectively. "I Left Something Turned on at Home" went to number one on Canada's country chart. At least six of his studio albums have received gold or platinum certification in the United States; his highest-selling to date is 2005's Songs About Me, which has been certified double multiplatinum for shipping two million copies. Adkins is widely known for his distinctive bass-baritone singing and speaking voice. He has also made several appearances on television, including as a panelist on the game shows Hollywood Squares and Pyramid, as a 2008 finalist and as the 2013 winner on The Celebrity Apprentice, as the voice for recurring character Elvin on King of the Hill, and the main role of Albie Roman on Monarch, as well as in television commercial voice-overs for KFC and Firestone. Also, Adkins has written an autobiography titled A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Free-Thinking Roughneck, which was released in late 2007. He has appeared in numerous films, including The Lincoln Lawyer, Moms' Night Out, Old Henry and I Can Only Imagine.
Adkins was born in Sarepta, Louisiana, the son of Peggy Carraway and Aaron Doyle Adkins. His maternal uncle was the Christian musician James W. Carraway (1923–2008). His musical interest came at an early age when he was 10, and his father bought him a guitar and hired someone to give him lessons. At Sarepta High School, since defunct, Adkins joined a gospel music group called the New Commitments. He was also a member of the FFA. Later, Adkins attended Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. A walk-on offensive lineman on their football team, Adkins left the team after his freshman season due to a knee injury, without ever playing in a game. Adkins never graduated. After leaving college, he worked on an oil rig. He also played music in a band called Bayou. Adkins also worked as a pharmacy technician before pursuing a career in music. He lost the pinky finger on his left hand in an accident using a knife to open a bucket, and asked doctors to reattach the finger at an angle so that he could continue to play guitar. Adkins moved to play in honky-tonk bars for the next few years in the Ark-La-Tex area and eventually moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1992. In late 1994, Adkins met Rhonda Forlaw, who was an executive at Arista Records Nashville. Forlaw had numerous music industry friends come out to hear Adkins over the next few years. Scott Hendricks of Capitol Nashville signed him "on the spot" one night while Adkins was playing at Tillie and Lucy's bar in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.
Adkins's first single, which he wrote himself, "There's a Girl in Texas", was released in 1996, reaching the top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. It was followed by the release of his debut album, Dreamin' Out Loud, later that year. The album produced several hit singles, including his first top-five single, "Every Light in the House", his first number one in "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing", and another top-five hit in "I Left Something Turned on at Home". The latter single was also a number-one hit in Canada. His second album, Big Time, produced a top five in "The Rest of Mine", but subsequent singles proved less successful. Adkins was named "Top New Male Artist" by the Academy of Country Music in 1997. In 1998, Adkins appeared on the PBS music program Austin City Limits (season 23). A change in management delayed the release of Adkins's third album, but the album (titled More...) was eventually released in late 1999. Although the album's title track reached top 10, More... failed to achieve gold status. Adkins's daughter, Mackenzie, was featured in the "More" video.
In 2001, Adkins was injured in a tractor accident and had to cancel touring temporarily. Shortly after the release of his Chrome album, he entered a 28-day alcohol rehabilitation program in Nashville. Chrome was his first album to reach the top five on the country albums charts; its title track reached top 10 in late 2002. In 2003, Adkins released two albums—a greatest hits collection and Comin' on Strong. The same year, he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. He also made appearances as the center square on the game show Hollywood Squares, and did voice-overs in commercials for fast-food chain KFC. Only one single, "Then They Do", was released from this greatest hits compilation. This album, which succeeded the greatest hits collection, produced two singles: the top-five single "Hot Mama" and "Rough & Ready", which peaked at number 13. Adkins and Travis Tritt played the roles of prison convicts in a February 2004 episode of the television series Yes, Dear (Greg and Jimmy's Criminals).
In March 2005, Adkins released his album entitled Songs About Me. The title track was released as its first single in December 2004. The album's second single, "Arlington", generated controversy over its content (a first-person account of a fictional soldier who was about to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery). It was followed by "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk", which became a crossover hit, bringing Adkins into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time. Adkins's seventh studio album, Dangerous Man, was released in 2006. "Swing", the album's lead-off single, peaked at number 20, while the follow-up "Ladies Love Country Boys" became Adkins's second number-one single on the country charts and his first since "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing" in 1997. Adkins's daughter, Brianna, was featured in the "Ladies Love Country Boys" video. The album's final release, "I Wanna Feel Something", proved unsuccessful on the charts; as a result, Adkins announced that he would stop supporting the single. In August 2007, Adkins released a single entitled "I Got My Game On". Originally, the song was planned to be the lead-off to a new album, tentatively titled Game On, but Adkins decided not to release a full album, and instead released his second greatest hits compilation, American Man: Greatest Hits Volume II, for which "I Got My Game On" served as the lead-off single. The album has also produced Adkins's fastest-climbing single to date in its second single, "You're Gonna Miss This". "You're Gonna Miss This" has also become his third number-one hit on the Hot Country Songs, as well as the most successful single to date on the Billboard Hot 100 (12), Billboard Pop 100 (19), and Hot Digital Songs charts (8). Adkins released his first book, entitled A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Free-Thinking Roughneck.
In 2008, Adkins released the single "Muddy Water," the lead single from X, which was released on November 25. The video for "Muddy Water" has an appearance by fellow Celebrity Apprentice competitor Stephen Baldwin as a man being baptized in a muddy river, and later approaching Adkins as a friend. It reached the top 30 on the country charts, peaking at number 22. "Marry for Money" and "All I Ask for Anymore" were released as the album's second and third singles, and both peaked at number 14 on the country charts. In November 2008, Adkins made an appearance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He rode with his family on the Jimmy Dean/Tyson Foods float and performed his famous song "You're Gonna Miss This". In 2009, Adkins appeared in local Kansas City commercials to advertise season tickets and the 50th season of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. Adkins recorded a duet with country legend Ronnie Milsap called "My First Ride" to benefit firefighters and police officers in the U.S. and Canada. Then, after the song's release, the label said 'no' to radio stations playing it with no explanation given. Milsap led a protest at Capitol Records to "Free Trace" and allow the song to be played. In November 2009, Adkins embarked on the Shine All Night Tour, a co-headline venture with fellow country artist Martina McBride. Also in 2009, he recorded a duet with Blake Shelton titled "Hillbilly Bone", which was released as the lead-off single from Shelton's upcoming sixth album. On October 18, 2009, Adkins made an appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to help Ty Pennington and his design team build a new home for the Marshall family.
