Trace Adkins

Born in Sarepta, LA on January 13, 1962, Tracy Darrell Adkins found his love of music early in life when his father began teaching him to play the guitar. By the time he reached high school, his musical talent had already begun to sprout and he joined a gospel music group, New Commitments. After high school, Adkins went to study at Louisiana Tech University and then started work on an oil rig after graduation. During his work on the oil rigs, he lost his pinky finger on his left hand in an accident. He asked the doctors to deliberately reattach the finger at an angle so he could continue to play the guitar. When he was able to play once more, he started playing around honky tonk bars in Nashville, TN in the early 1990's. During this time, he was spotted by an executive from Capitol Records and was soon signed to the label.

His first single from Capitol Records, "There's A Girl In Texas", was released in 1996 and hit the top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Dreamin' Out Loud, Adkins' debut album, followed right behind the hit single, producing several other hit singles, such as "This Ain't No Thinkin' Thing". The next album, Big Time, spawned more hit singles, such as "The Rest of Mine", although none hit as high as the singles from his debut album. When Capitol went through a change in management, it delayed the release of his third album, and the album, More, failed to live up to it's successors achievements.

Then, in 2001, he was charged with a DUI in Nolensville, TN and plead guilty to the charges. Although he was sentenced to 11 months in jail, the sentence was suspended after only 48 hours. He still had to pay his fines and lost his driver's license for one year. After this setback, Adkins was injured in a tractor accident and had to stop touring to recover. Shortly after this, he entered alcohol rehabilitation in Nashville right after his newest album, Chrome, was released. Chrome was the first album that reached the top 5 on the country charts and the title track reached the top 10 toward the end of 2002. Then, in 2003, Adkins released two albums: Comin' on Strong and a Greatest Hits Collection. He also made appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, Hollywood Squares, and even did voice overs for KFC commercials. While only one single was released from the Greatest Hits Collection, Comin' on Strong produced two singles, "Hot Mama" which hit the top 5, and "Rough & Ready" which hit the top 20.

2005 to 2007 saw an increase in Adkins' career. While he sparked controversy over his song "Arlington" (which is about a fictional soldier about to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery), "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" hit the top 40 on the Billboard charts and boosted him to stardom once more. In 2006, he released his seventh album, Dangerous Man. This album's singles hit the top of the charts, and the single "Ladies Love Country Boys" hit #1, which was Adkins' first #1 single since "This Ain't No Thinkin' Thing". Then, in 2007, Adkins released a new single titled "I Got My Game On". While this song was originally planned to be a lead to his new album, the album was canceled and instead his Greatest Hits #2 was released. During 2007, Adkins also published a book, A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Free-Thinking Roughneck, and starred on the NBC television show The Celebrity Apprentice.

From Discogs:

Born: January 13, 1962, Sarepta, LouisianaAmerican country music singer.

From Lastfm:

Tracy Darrell (Trace) Adkins is an American country music artist, born January 13, 1962, in Springhill, Louisiana. His musical interest came at an early age, when his father taught him to play the guitar. In high school, he joined a gospel music group called the New Commitments. He was also a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA). Later, Adkins went on to study petroleum technology at Louisiana Tech University, where he also played football. After graduation, he took up work at an oil rig.

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From Wikipedia:

Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins (born January 13, 1962) is an American country music artist and actor. He made his debut in 1995 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations. In addition, he 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 No. 1 on Canada's country chart. All but one 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 2× Multi-Platinum for shipping two million copies.

He has also made several appearances on television, including as a panelist on the game shows Hollywood Squares and Pyramid, as a finalist on The Celebrity Apprentice, as the voice for recurring character Elvin on King of the Hill, and in television commercial voice-overs for the KFC fast food restaurant chain. In addition, Adkins has written an autobiography entitled 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.