Rhett Akins

En 1992, ^{[ 4 ]} después de actuar en el espectáculo del parque temático "Música Country" en Fiesta Texas en San Antonio, Texas, Akins se mudó a Nashville, Tennessee , y actuó en "Country Music USA" en el parque temático Opryland. Akins luego se convirtió en cantante de demos antes de que Decca Records lo contratara para grabar un disco. ^{[ 4 ]}

Akins's first single was "What They're Talkin' About", a No. 35 on the Billboard country charts in late 1994, followed by the No. 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 No. 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 No. 17 "She Said Yes". Also in 1995 and 1996, Akins toured with Reba McEntire.^[2] In 1995, he was named one of Country America's "Top New Stars".^[4]

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, with "Love You Back" (the second single) becoming his last top 40 hit at No. 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 No. 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.

In 2000, he voiced the character of Tom Sawyer in MGM's animated remake of Tom Sawyer alongside fellow country singer Mark Wills, who voiced Huckleberry Finn, as well as Lee Ann Womack, who voiced Becky's singing voice. 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 Love", peaked at No. 55 and No. 57, respectively.

Akins no lanzó otro sencillo hasta que firmó con BNA Records en 2005, cuando lanzó  "Kiss My Country Ass", que alcanzó el puesto número 57 y que luego fue grabado por Blake Shelton para su EP de 2010, Hillbilly Bone . Fue incluido en su álbum People Like Me , que originalmente iba a ser lanzado a través de BNA el 14 de junio de 2006, pero que finalmente fue lanzado de forma independiente en junio de 2007. " If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away " fue el segundo sencillo de People Like Me , que no logró entrar en las listas para Akins, pero que luego fue grabado por Justin Moore , cuya versión llegó al número 1. Down South le siguió en 2008, al igual que su único sencillo, la canción que da título al álbum, que tampoco logró entrar en las listas.

En 2009, Akins lanzó el sencillo "Hung Up", que no entró en las listas de éxitos. Posteriormente, se incluyó en el álbum de 2010 Michael Waddell's Bone Collector: The Brotherhood Album , una colaboración con el también cantante de música country Dallas Davidson , publicado por Reprise Records Nashville.

A finales de la década de 2000, Akins comenzó a escribir canciones para otros artistas, principalmente con Ben Hayslip y Dallas Davidson , conocidos conjuntamente como The Peach Pickers . Entre los sencillos que Akins ha coescrito se encuentran " Put a Girl in It " grabado por Brooks & Dunn , " Barefoot and Crazy " de Jack Ingram , ^{[ 5 ]} " Gimmie That Girl " y " The Shape I'm In " de Joe Nichols , " All About Tonight ", " Honey Bee ", " I Lived It " y " Boys 'Round Here " de Blake Shelton , " When She Says Baby ", " Just Gettin' Started ", " Tonight Looks Good on You " de Jason Aldean , " All Over Me " de Josh Turner , "Hot Mess" de Tyler Farr , " Farmer's Daughter " y " Take a Back Road " de Rodney Atkins , " Bait a Hook " y " Point at You " de Justin Moore , " I Can Take It from There " de Chris Young , " I Know Somebody " de LoCash , " Parking Lot Party ", " That Don't Sound Like You " de Lee Brice , " "Hey Girl " de Billy Currington , " I Don't Want This Night to End ", " Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day " de Luke Bryan , " Wild in Your Smile ", " Mind Reader ", " Small Town Boy " de Dustin Lynch , " It Goes Like This ", " Get Me Some of That " y " Star of the Show " de Thomas Rhett , "Granddaddy's Gun" de Aaron Lewis y " A Buncha Girls ", " Young & Crazy " de Frankie Ballard , " Kick It in the Sticks "," Small Town Throwdown " de Brantley Gilbert , " Ready Set Roll " de Chase Rice , " Dirt on My Boots " de Jon Pardi , " To Be Loved By You " deParker McCollum y "Desaparecido" de William Michael Morgan .