Trace Adkins enjoys success of book, greatest hits collection

Don't let the deep, rugged voice fool you. Country singer Trace Adkins has a gentler side.

"I've always had that soft side," Adkins said. "It just doesn't always get released."

Fans will get to hear both the mild and not-so-mild songs by Adkins during a performance Sunday at the Westmoreland Fair in Mt. Pleasant Township.

The 6-foot-6-inch one-time offshore oil rig worker has been filling up albums with a singing style he terms 'combat country' - a result of all his years playing in clubs where he was "singing at the top of my lungs and developing an attitude."

He's carried that attitude into songs like "Chrome" and "Scream." But he has also found a balance with more tender tracks.

His current hit, "Then They Do," is a touching ballad that runs the gamut of emotions that parents face when their kids grow up. Adkins, a father of four daughters, said the song came at a time in his life when he started to struggle with letting go of his first-born.

"When I first heard the song, it just killed me. My 18-year-old daughter was graduating high school," Adkins said. "And I've got a little bitty one; she'll be 2 in September.

"I've got kids that range in age from 18 to almost 2, so every line in that song is something that I have experienced or expect to experience. It just really moved me a lot."

Adkins' daughters are Tarah, 18, and Sarah, 15, both from a previous marriage, and Mackenzie, 5, and Brianna, 1, born to his wife, Rhonda.

"I had to listen to that song 50 times before even being able to sing it. Then, I kept getting a frog in my throat," Adkins said. "I thought, 'I am not going to be able to sing this song.' But my producer got me through it. I was singing this song for my kids."

As the song climbed the country music charts, it attracted attention from listeners who found a common bond between Adkins' words and their own stories about parenting.

"The song came out and we started getting bombarded with letters and stories from people who were telling us how the song moved them," Adkins said. "They started writing their stories and family anecdotes. It was unbelievable. We realized we had this collection of really great stuff. We had to do something with it."

In a collaborative effort, Adkins and author Jim Collins produced the book "Then They Do." It is filled with some of the stories the singer received in response to the song. Adkins wrote the opening chapter - an experience he called "nerve-racking."

"It was hard. I was stepping into a different world. Writing a song is one thing, but when you start stepping out into the literary world, you open yourself up for criticism," Adkins said. "If you're a moron, people are going to know it. I didn't want to come across as an idiot. But I think it turned out to be a beautiful little book."

The book, published by Rutledge Hill Press, includes a CD single of the song.

With a publishing credit under his belt, Adkins moved on to release his first greatest hits collection, which includes "Then They Do." The album, released last month and currently at number eight on the country charts, was an instant success.

"I did not see that coming at all. All I was hoping for was to double my own personal best of selling 20,000 (albums) in a week," Adkins said. "I was out at the farm on my tractor, and my phone rang. The marketing vice president from Capitol Records said, 'Turn off your tractor, I've gotta tell you something. We sold 56,000.' I was just flabbergasted."

This year has been big for Adkins, and it's not about to slow down. Later this month, he will be formally inducted as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville, Tenn.

"I'm so honored and so humbled, too, at the same time. This is such an elite group of entertainers," Adkins said. "To be a member of it, I never even allowed myself to dream that big."

Adkins began his career in country music in 1998, when he joined the band Bayou Speak Easy. He spent four years with the band, but after countless shows and little recognition on the country music scene, he returned to the oilrig business.

But the desire to be a country music artist was strong, and Adkins returned to the scene in 1992.

The next few years were trying for Adkins. In 1994 he survived a bullet through the heart and lungs after his then-wife shot him during an argument. He recovered from his injuries and resumed his singing stint at a Nashville club. It was there that a Capitol Records producer heard him sing and signed him.

Adkins went on to release five albums, with "Big Time" and "Chrome" going gold, "Dreamin' Out Loud" going platinum and his newly released "Greatest Hits Collection, Volume 1" promising to be just as big.

The Academy of Country Music awarded him the New Male Vocalist Award in 1997 and from Country Weekly, Adkins received the Favorite Male Newcomer Award. More recently, he received a nomination for Male Video of the Year for "Chrome," from the Country Music Television Flameworthy Awards.

He is currently working on his next album, which he said is the most solid of all his work so far.

"I'm just one of those fortunate people that has been given the opportunity to turn a hobby into a career. When you can do something that you just love to do, and make a living doing it. ... It's a good life."

Friday
4 p.m. - Fair, rides and buildings open
7 p.m. - Queen contest and crowning, Show Arena, free admission
7 and 9 p.m. - Irish Town Blue Grass Band, Sit-A-Spell Stage
8 p.m. - Motorcross racing, Rolling Rock Arena, $5; $3 for children ages 3-12; $10 pit pass

Saturday
9 a.m. - Westmoreland County 4-H Horse Show, Horse Show Arena
5 p.m. - Westmoreland County Veterans Presentation
6 and 8 p.m. - Pure Country Band, Show Arena
7 and 9 p.m. - By Faith Christian rock band, Sit-A-Spell stage
8 p.m. - Motorcross racing, Rolling Rock Arena, $5; $3 for children ages 3-12; $10 pit pass

Sunday
8 a.m. - non-denominational church service, Sit-A-Spell stage
2 p.m. - Horse pull, 4-H Horse Arena
6 p.m. - Trace Adkins, Rolling Rock Arena, $26 reserved seating, $22 general; prices include fair admission, rides and parking
7 p.m. - 4-H Teens Against Tobacco Puppet Show, Family Living Building
7 and 9 p.m. - Quick Change band, Sit-A-Spell Stage

Monday
5 p.m. - 4-H Pet Care Show, small arena
7 and 9 p.m. - Mainline Gospel Band, Sit-A-Spell Stage
7 p.m. - Battle of the Bands, Rolling Rock Arena, $3

Tuesday
"Family Day" - 1-11 p.m. admission is $6; includes rides
6 and 8 p.m. - Hoptoad Production, children's entertainment, Show Arena
7 and 9 p.m. - Gas House Annie band, Sit-A-Spell Stage
7:30 p.m. - Figure 8 Race, Rolling Rock Arena, $5; $3 children

Wednesday
Seniors Day - $3 admission with any senior ID
1-3 p.m. - Seniors bingo, Show Arena
3, 6 and 8 p.m. - Dan and Gala Variety Musical Show, Show Arena
7 and 9 p.m. - Wade Marts & Company band, Sit-A-Spell Stage
7:30 p.m. - Demolition Derby, Rolling Rock Arena, $5; $3 for children ages 3-12; $10 pit pass

Aug. 21
1 p.m. - Horse Show Hitch Classes, Horse Arena
5:30 p.m. - 4-H Benefit Auction, Small Arena
6 and 8 p.m. - Dan and Gala Musical Variety Show, Show Arena
7 and 9 p.m. - High Ryder band, Sit-A-Spell Stage
7:30 p.m. - Four-Wheel Drive Truck Pull, Rolling Rock Arena, $5; $3 for children ages 3-12

Aug. 22
4 p.m. - 4-H Dog Show
7 and 9 p.m. - Irish Town Bluegrass Band, Sit-A-Spell Stage
7:30 p.m. - Farm Tractor and Truck Pull, Rolling Rock Arena, $5; $3 for children ages 3-12; $10 pit pass

Aug. 23
1-11 p.m. admission is $7 and includes rides
9 a.m. - archery contest, show arena
Noon - Pedal Power Pull, free prizes for kids under 10 years and women of all ages, Show Arena
6 and 8 p.m. - United States Army Band Ensemble, Show Arena
7 and 9 p.m. - Prairie Fire Country Music Band, Sit-A-Spell Stage
7:30 p.m. - Demolition Derby, Rolling Rock Arena, $5; $3 for children ages 3-12; $10 pit pass

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Trace Adkins