Rodney Atkins
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Rodney Allan Atkins (born March 28, 1969) is an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer and songwriter. Signed to Curb Records in 1996, he charted his first single on the ''Billboard'' country chart in 1997, but did not release an album until 2003's ''
Honesty Honesty or truthfulness is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft ...
'', which included the hit single "
Honesty (Write Me a List) "Honesty (Write Me a List)" is a song written by Patience Clemens and David Kent and recorded by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released in June 2003 as the third single from Atkins' 2003 album ''Honesty''. The song became Atki ...
". '' If You're Going Through Hell'', his second album, was released in 2006. Its first two singles, " If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)" and " Watching You", each spent four weeks at number one the country music chart, and were respectively ranked as the top country songs of 2006 and 2007 according to
Billboard Year-End ''Billboard'' Year-End charts are cumulative rankings of entries in ''Billboard'' magazine charts in the United States in any given chart year. Several hundred Year-End charts are now published by ''Billboard'', the most important of which are t ...
. The album, which has since been certified platinum in the United States, produced two more number one singles in " These Are My People" and " Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)". ''
It's America ''It's America'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on March 31, 2009 by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track, was released on November 24, 2008 and became Atkins' fifth nu ...
'' (2009) included the number one single "
It's America ''It's America'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on March 31, 2009 by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track, was released on November 24, 2008 and became Atkins' fifth nu ...
" and the Top 5 hit "
Farmer's Daughter A farmer's daughter is a stock character who is a desirable and naive young woman. The Farmer's Daughter or Farmer's Daughter may also refer to: Movies * ''The Farmer's Daughter'' (1928 film), by scriptwriter Frederica Sagor Maas * ''The Far ...
", which was added to a later reissue of the album. ''
Take a Back Road ''Take a Back Road'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on October 4, 2011, by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track", is the fastest-rising and sixth number one hit of At ...
'' (2011) produced his sixth number one in its
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
, and 2019's '' Caught Up in the Country'' set a record for the longest run on the country singles charts with its
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
. Atkins has received six nominations from the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
and two from the Country Music Association, winning Top New Male Vocalist from the former in 2006.


Early life

Rodney Allan Atkins was born March 28, 1969 in
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...
. His biological mother, who was 19 at the time, became pregnant with him after a "traumatic first date". She hid the pregnancy from her parents and put him up for adoption at the Holston United Methodist Home for Children in
Greeneville, Tennessee Greeneville is a town in and the county seat of Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 15,479. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, and it is the second oldest town i ...
. His first adoptive parents, Charles Hutchins and Linda Weems, returned him to the home after he developed a major respiratory infection. Allan and Margaret Atkins, who had lost a newborn about a year prior, inquired after the child, but decided not to proceed due to surgery that Margaret had just undergone. Meanwhile, another couple adopted him, but also returned him soon after when he developed
colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube (small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content out. ...
. After Margaret Atkins recovered, she proceeded to adopt him. Atkins did not meet his biological mother until 2008, and has never revealed her identity. The Atkins family moved frequently in his youth, eventually settling in
Claiborne County, Tennessee Claiborne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,043. Its county seat is Tazewell. History Claiborne County was established on October 29, 1801, created from Grainger and Hawki ...
. He attended high school at Powell Valley High in
Speedwell, Tennessee Speedwell is an unincorporated community in Claiborne County, Tennessee. Speedwell is an agricultural community that was first settled c. 1790. It is the site of Powell Valley Elementary School, a Claiborne County public school for kindergarten ...
. During high school, Atkins played guitar in his spare time at events and festivals. After graduating from
Walters State Community College Walters State Community College (abbreviated as WSCC, and commonly known as Walters State) is a public community college based in Morristown, Tennessee. It was founded in 1970 and is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college was ...
, he went to
Tennessee Tech Tennessee Technological University, commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech, is a public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of Dixie ...
in
Cookeville, Tennessee Cookeville is the county seat and largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was reported to be 34,842. It is recognized as one of the country's micropolitan areas, or smaller ...
, where he made friends with songwriters and soon began writing himself. In the mid-1990s, Atkins moved to
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, to pursue a recording career. He signed with Curb Records in 1996, the same week that LeAnn Rimes did.


Musical career


''Rodney Atkins''

Atkins's debut single, "In a Heartbeat", spent one week at number 74 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart dated for August 30, 1997. One of the song's cowriters was Brian Gowan, who was also recording on Curb at the time as one-half of Blake & Brian. Its b-side, "God Only Knows", was also released as a single, but did not chart. His debut album was slated for release on September 16 of the same year, but it was never released due to Atkins' dissatisfaction with his material. He discussed his dissatisfaction while sitting next to Curb Records owner Mike Curb on an airplane; Curb allowed him to switch producers, and Atkins chose Ted Hewitt, with whom he had been working on demos. Hewitt also changed Atkins' style from a cowboy appearance and a vocal style similar to Roy Orbison to a more polished appearance. Atkins, Hewitt, and Max T. Barnes wrote the track "Don't Think I Won't" on
Mark Wills Mark Wills (born Daryl Mark Williams; August 8, 1973) is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Records between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label – '' Mark Wills'', ''Wish You Were Here'', ''Permanently'' ...
' 1998 album ''
Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to: Film, television, and theater Film * ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland * ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...
'', but he was otherwise inactive until 2002. "In a Heartbeat" later appeared on the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
of the 2008 film '' Camille''.


''Honesty''

In mid-2002, Rodney Atkins released his third single, " Sing Along". Both it and its followup, " My Old Man", peaked in the lower regions of the Top 40 on the country chart. He entered the Top 10 for the first time in late 2003-early 2004 with "
Honesty (Write Me a List) "Honesty (Write Me a List)" is a song written by Patience Clemens and David Kent and recorded by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released in June 2003 as the third single from Atkins' 2003 album ''Honesty''. The song became Atki ...
", which went on to peak at number 4 on the country charts and 57 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was the title track to his album ''
Honesty Honesty or truthfulness is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft ...
'', which was released by the end of 2003. "Someone to Share It With" and "Monkey in the Middle" (both also co-written by Gowan) were also issued as singles, with the former peaking at number 41 on the country charts. Atkins told the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
that he chose to record "Honesty" because he and producer Ted Hewitt wanted a twelfth song for the album, and co-writer David Kent had recommended it to Hewitt. Jeffrey B. Remz of ''
Country Standard Time ''Country Standard Time'' is a website dedicated to country music and related genres including Americana, bluegrass and rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1993 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a ...
'' gave the album a mixed review. He thought that Atkins seemed too similar in sound to labelmate
Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those album ...
, but praised some of the songs for having strong melodies. A more favorable review came from Matt Bjorke of
About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
, who called it a "confident debut from a talented newcomer."


''If You're Going Through Hell''

Having been absent from the country music charts for most of 2004 and 2005, he returned in 2006 with a single entitled " If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)", which served as the lead-off to his second released album, '' If You're Going Through Hell''. With this album, Atkins once again changed his musical image. He started wearing
baseball cap A baseball cap is a type of soft hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front. The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of relevant c ...
s and performing "songs about his life." "If You're Going Through Hell" became his first number 1, spending four weeks at the top of the Hot Country Songs charts; it was also the top country hit of 2006 according to
Billboard Year-End ''Billboard'' Year-End charts are cumulative rankings of entries in ''Billboard'' magazine charts in the United States in any given chart year. Several hundred Year-End charts are now published by ''Billboard'', the most important of which are t ...
. Following "If You're Going Through Hell" was " Watching You", which Atkins wrote with Steve Dean and Brian Gene White. This song was inspired by Atkins' son, Elijah, who also stars in its
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
. "Watching You" was also a four-week number 1 hit, and the top country song of 2007 on the ''Billboard'' Year-End charts. " These Are My People" and " Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)" also went to number 1, making ''If You're Going Through Hell'' the first country album to include four number 1 singles since Tim McGraw's 2001 album '' Set This Circus Down''. The album's final single was " Invisibly Shaken", which
Lee Greenwood Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He also plays the saxophone. Active since 1962, he has released more than 20 major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the ''Billboa ...
previously recorded on his 2003 album ''Stronger Than Time''. Atkins' version of the song peaked at number 41. ''If You're Going Through Hell'' received a
platinum certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of one million copies, while "If You're Going Through Hell", "Watching You", and "Cleaning This Gun" all received gold certifications for 500,000
music download A music download (commonly referred to as a digital download) is the digital transfer of music via the Internet into a device capable of decoding and playing it, such as a personal computer, portable media player, MP3 player or smartphone. T ...
s. These songs also made top 40 on the Hot 100 while they were climbing the country charts, while "These Are My People" reached number 42. Atkins also received the 2006
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
award for Top New Male Vocalist, and "If You're Going Through Hell" was nominated for Song of the Year. Atkins toured in late 2007-early 2008 as an opening act on
Brad Paisley Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
's Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour. J. Poet of Allmusic gave the album a positive review, praising the "less produced sound" and Atkins' vocals on the singles. A mixed review came from ''Country Standard Time'', whose Robert Loy criticized Atkins for singing "about what a good ol' boy he is" on several songs, but adding that "it's fairly obvious he's at least as country as anybody else on the charts these days".


''It's America''

Atkins's thirteenth single, "
It's America ''It's America'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on March 31, 2009 by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track, was released on November 24, 2008 and became Atkins' fifth nu ...
", was released in November 2008. It was the first single from his third album, ''
It's America ''It's America'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on March 31, 2009 by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track, was released on November 24, 2008 and became Atkins' fifth nu ...
'', released in March 2009. Atkins promoted the album through appearances on ''
Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles ...
'' and a pre-sale promotion on his website. On the chart dated May 2, 2009, "It's America" became his fifth number 1 hit. Its followup, "
15 Minutes ''15 Minutes'' is a 2001 American satirical buddy cop action thriller film directed and written by John Herzfeld and starring Robert De Niro and Edward Burns. Its story revolves around a homicide detective (De Niro) and a fire marshal (Burns) w ...
", was released in May 2009 and peaked at number 20 in September. Atkins re-wrote the album's third single, "Chasin' Girls", for his wife to make it more applicable to their life at the time. After executives at Curb saw the lyrics, the re-written version was released as the album's third single, but did not make top 40. "
Farmer's Daughter A farmer's daughter is a stock character who is a desirable and naive young woman. The Farmer's Daughter or Farmer's Daughter may also refer to: Movies * ''The Farmer's Daughter'' (1928 film), by scriptwriter Frederica Sagor Maas * ''The Far ...
" followed in early 2010, and after it reached top 5 late in the year, Curb added it and the re-recording of "Chasin' Girls" to a re-issue of ''It's America''. The label also re-released ''If You're Going Through Hell'' for exclusive sale at
Cracker Barrel Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., doing business as simply Cracker Barrel, is an American chain of restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company was founded by Dan Evins in 1969. Its first store was in Lebanon, ...
restaurants, with "Farmer's Daughter" and the previously-unreleased song "More Like Your Memory (Always Takes Me Back)" added to the track listing. ''It's America'' received mixed reviews. Todd Sterling of Allmusic and Liz Jungers of Roughstock both criticized it for lacking musical variety. It was more favorably reviewed at ''Country Standard Time'', with critic Jeff Lincoln criticizing the title track as "forced" but saying that otherwise, "Atkins has found his niche of singing about the southern tribe."


''Take a Back Road''

"
Take a Back Road ''Take a Back Road'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on October 4, 2011, by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track", is the fastest-rising and sixth number one hit of At ...
", the lead-off single and title track to his fourth album ''
Take a Back Road ''Take a Back Road'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on October 4, 2011, by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track", is the fastest-rising and sixth number one hit of At ...
'', was released in April 2011. It became his sixth number 1 late in the year, and accounted for his highest placement on the Hot 100, at number 23. The song was co-written by
Luke Laird Luke Robert Laird (born May 4, 1978 in Hartstown, Pennsylvania) is an American country music songwriter and producer. He has written over 20 number one ''Billboard'' singles, including Carrie Underwood's "So Small", "Temporary Home", and " Un ...
and
Rhett Akins Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. (born October 13, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for that label (1995's ''A Thousand Memories'' and 1996's '' Somebody New''), followed by ...
, the latter of whom co-wrote "Farmer's Daughter". " He's Mine" was the album's second single. The song was originally recorded by
Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...
, and Atkins chose to release it because it received positive reactions from fans in concert. It peaked at number 23 on the country chart in April 2012. " Just Wanna Rock N' Roll", the album's third single, peaked at number 31 on the Country Airplay chart in late 2012. ''Country Standard Time'' called Atkins "the type of wholesome country musician that you would enjoy hanging out with on a Sunday afternoon with your wife and kids." It received a "B" from ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'', whose Mikael Wood wrote that Atkins "makes for a first-rate correspondent from Anytown, USA."


''Greatest Hits'' and ''Caught Up in the Country''

In September 2013, Atkins released the single "Doin' It Right", which peaked at 53 on the Country Airplay chart. It was followed in October 2014 by "Eat Sleep Love You Repeat", which was co-written by
Walker Hayes Charles Edgar Walker Hayes (born December 27, 1979) is an American country-pop singer and songwriter. He has released three studio albums: ''Reason to Rhyme'' in 2011 on Capitol Records Nashville, and '' Boom'' and '' Country Stuff the Album'' i ...
and Ryan Bizarri. The latter song appears on Atkins' ''
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'' compilation, released in February 2015. This album also includes ten of his previous singles, plus the album cut "About the South" from ''If You're Going Through Hell''. In 2018, Atkins released a new single titled " Caught Up in the Country", which features the
Fisk Jubilee Singers The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American '' a cappella'' ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditio ...
on backing vocals. This is the first single from an album of the same name, released via Curb on May 10, 2019. As with his other albums, Hewitt again serves as producer. The album includes a song written about Atkins' grandmother-in-law. "Caught Up in the Country" spent 57 weeks on the Country Airplay charts, setting a new record for the longest continuous run on that chart in May 2019. On August 21, Rodney Atkins released a second single titled, "Thank God for You". This was followed in 2021 by a cover of
Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...
's " A Little Good News".


Personal life

Atkins has been married twice. He married Tammy Jo McDonald in 1998, and the two had a son named Elijah. He also had two stepdaughters, Lindsey and Morgan, from McDonald's previous marriage. Atkins was arrested in November 2011 for allegedly trying to smother his wife with a pillow, while his 10-year-old son watched. He was released on $2,500 bail three hours after the arrest, and was ordered by the
Williamson County, Tennessee Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 247,726. The county seat is Franklin, and the county is located in Middle Tennessee. The county is named after Hugh Williams ...
, court to take an anger assessment which found no need for any further action. The altercation was disputed by Atkins' lawyer, who stated that it was purely verbal. Atkins filed for divorce within 24 hours of the alleged assault. The divorce was settled in late-September 2012. In February 2012, Atkins was cleared of the domestic assault charge. In June 2013, Atkins became engaged to singer Rose Falcon. The couple married on November 10, 2013. Together, they have two sons, born in December 2017 and August 2019.


Discography

;Studio albums *''
Honesty Honesty or truthfulness is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft ...
'' (2003) *'' If You're Going Through Hell'' (2006) *''
It's America ''It's America'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on March 31, 2009 by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track, was released on November 24, 2008 and became Atkins' fifth nu ...
'' (2009) *''
Take a Back Road ''Take a Back Road'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on October 4, 2011, by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track", is the fastest-rising and sixth number one hit of At ...
'' (2011) *'' Caught Up in the Country'' (2019) ;Compilation albums *''
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'' (2015) ;Number-one singles (U.S. '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs) *" If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)" (2006) *" Watching You" (2007) *" These Are My People" (2007) *" Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)" (2008) *"
It's America ''It's America'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on March 31, 2009 by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track, was released on November 24, 2008 and became Atkins' fifth nu ...
" (2009) *"
Take a Back Road ''Take a Back Road'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released on October 4, 2011, by Curb Records. The album's first single, its title track", is the fastest-rising and sixth number one hit of At ...
" (2011)


References


External links


Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Rodney 1969 births American adoptees American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Curb Records artists Living people Music of East Tennessee Musicians from Knoxville, Tennessee People from Claiborne County, Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Country musicians from Tennessee