MAIN Pop Culture Country Music  Trace Adkins

Born Tracy Darrell Adkins in Sarepta, Louisiana on January 13, 1962, the tall "roughneck" with the deep baritone has quickly risen to stardom following the release of his debut album, "Dreamin' Out Loud", in 1996.

That same year, Adkins won the 1996 Academy of Country Music award for Top New Male Vocalist.

Since then, Trace Adkins has released six more albums and charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard country music charts including No. 1 hits such as "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing", "Ladies Love Country Boys", and "You're Gonna Miss This".

With an early interest in music sparked by his father (who taught him to play guitar), Adkins later attended Louisiana Tech University and studied for a career in the oil business, all the while continuing his interest in music. He later found work on an oil rig, where he lost his left pinky in an accident. Doctors reattached the finger so that Adkins could continue to play guitar.

And play he did — until "overnight" success came in the early 90's when a record executive discovered Adkins playing in a Nashville honky-tonk.

Despite his growing stature in country music, Trace Adkins has often made headlines for his bad-boy reputation and offstage antics including one drunk driving accident in 2001, and a subsequent stint in rehab.

Besides music, Adkins also occasionally turns his hand at TV acting, and co-starred with fellow country singer Travis Tritt as a prison convict in a 2004 episode of "Yes, Dear" on TBS.

Other national TV appearances include competing in Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, as well as a brief cameo - playing himself - in the popular daytime soap The Young and the Restless in May 2008.

Trace Adkins around the Web:

Trace Adkins.com - The official site with streaming audio, photo galleries, tour schedule, ticket information, the latest news & updates, fan club sign-up and online message boards.

MySpace - Trace Adkins - The singer's official page with a complete tour schedule and featured videos.

CMT.com - Trace Adkins - Photos, biography, complete discography, full-length videos, song lyrics, tour dates, messageboards and related resources.

Great American Country - Trace Adkins - Biography, fan photo gallery, featured videos, tour news & updates, related resources.

Trace Adkins - Wikipedia - Complete bio with details on the country star's personal life, career highlights and TV appearances, with related links & resources.

Trace Adkins Lyrics - Complete lyrics from Trace Adkins album playlists and hit singles, from LyricWiki.