2014 CMT Music Awards - Wonderwall Portrait Studio
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Today's spotlight falls on a second generation singer and songwriter, who's musical aspirations got off the ground when he learned to play the drums at the age of 12. He became proficient enough on the skins that by age of 16 he was regularly playing in his father's band.

Thomas Rhett Akins, Jr., is doing exactly what he has always wanted to do, play music. Thomas Rhett never has a back up plan, because music was his life. He didn't limit himself to country music, instead listening to a full spectrum of what FM radio had to offer, cranking  up  a mix of country, pop, R&B, rap, rock, and oldies. It was a tangle of music.

CMT Ultimate Kickoff Party - Rehearsals
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After high school, Rhett headed to Nashville, but not as a musician, as a student. He attended Lipscomb University, getting his feet wet as a performer by playing for their frat parties as a member of Tau Phi, where he got used to playing in front of crowds. While at LU, Rhett began submitting songs he wrote and in 2009, Jason Aldean recorded "I Ain't Ready To Quit" for his 2010 album My Kinda Party. The song led to Rhett signing with Big Machine Records in 2011.

Rhett released his first two singles in 2012. "Something To Do With My Hands" and "Beer With Jesus" both hit the top-30 on the Billboard Country chart. Meanwhile, Rhett wrote "1994" for Jason Aldean, "Parking Lot Party" for Lee Brice and "Round Here" for Florida-Georgia Line. Rhett's third single, "It Goes Like This" was the title track for his debut album and also became his first number one single in 2013. It was followed by two more chart-toppers from the album, "Get Me Some of That" and "Make Me Wanna".

Kicker Country Stampede Manhattan, Kansas - Day 1
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The success for Rhett kept on rolling with the release of his second album Tangled Up in 2015. The lead single "Crash and Burn" hit #1 the same week the album was released in September. But the success of the lead single paled in comparison to its follow up. The second single, "Die A Happy Man" hit the top of the Billboard Radio Airplay Chart the first week of the new year and remained there for six weeks, a fete that had not been accomplished on the Country charts since 2008.

The third single from Tangled Up is in out spotlight today. Its a bit of a different sound for Rhett, combining his country roots with a little bit more of a modern, soulful sound. Thomas Rhett and "T-Shirt" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

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