Thomas Rhett Akins, 13 October 1969, Valdosta, Georgia, USA. Although his mother played piano and his grandfather led the church choir, Akins was more interested in becoming a football quarterback. Having married, he gave up his studies at the University of Georgia after a year, and worked for his father’s oil and gas distribution company. He played guitar in his spare time and after performing at a family gathering, decided to pursue a career as a country singer in the vein of Randy Travis. He went to Nashville and secured a management contract with Reba McEntire’s husband, Narvel Blackstock. Paraded as a Hat Act, he had Top 40 country hits in 1994/95 with ‘What They’re Talkin’ About’ and ‘I Brake For Brunettes’. He made the Top 3 with ‘That Ain’t My Truck’, but after further success with ‘She Said Yes’ and ‘Don’t Get Me Started’, his own career braked for brunettes. Somebody New, which features a song called ‘Somebody Knew’, included several of his own compositions and, although an improvement on A Thousand Memories, found limited appeal with US record-buyers. In early 1997, ‘Every Cowboy’s Dream’ was struggling to make the US country Top 50. What Livin’s All About contained two hit singles, ‘More Than Everything’ and ‘Better Than It Used To Be’.
Akins moved to the independent Audium Records label for his next release, 2002’s Friday Night In Dixie. He returned to major label status in 2006 with a new album for BNA Records.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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Thomas Rhett Akins, 13 October 1969, Valdosta, Georgia, USA. Although his mother played piano and his grandfather led the church choir, Akins was more interested in becoming a football quarterback. Having married, he gave up his studies at the University of Georgia after a year, and worked for his father’s oil and gas distribution company. He played guitar in his spare time and after performing at a family gathering, decided to pursue a career as a country singer in the vein of Randy Travis. He went to Nashville and secured a management contract with Reba McEntire’s husband, Narvel Blackstock. Paraded as a Hat Act, he had Top 40 country hits in 1994/95 with ‘What They’re Talkin’ About’ and ‘I Brake For Brunettes’. He made the Top 3 with ‘That Ain’t My Truck’, but after further success with ‘She Said Yes’ and ‘Don’t Get Me Started’, his own career braked for brunettes. Somebody New, which features a song called ‘Somebody Knew’, included several of his own compositions and, although an improvement on A Thousand Memories, found limited appeal with US record-buyers. In early 1997, ‘Every Cowboy’s Dream’ was struggling to make the US country Top 50. What Livin’s All About contained two hit singles, ‘More Than Everything’ and ‘Better Than It Used To Be’.