‘Catch of the Day’ – Trace Adkins – “Lit” [AUDIO]

Today we turn the focus on a singer, songwriter, author and actor that was born and raised in Sarepta, LA and who was taught to play guitar as a youngster by his father. His interest in music was encouraged by his uncle James W. Carraway, a successful Christian musician.

Trace Adkins has always been a a compilation of conflicting pieces. A star football player in high school, he was also a member of the Gospel music group The New Commitments. He went on to attend Louisiana Tech University, where he would make the Bulldogs football team as a walk-on offensive lineman. His career was short-lived as a knee injury after his freshman season at LTU would end his playing time before he ever got on the field for a game.

After leaving Louisiana Tech, Adkins went on to work on an oil rig, where an accident with a knife while opening a bucket would sever the pinky finger on his left hand. Doctors were able to reattach the finger, and knowing it would have limited mobility, they did so at an angle would would allow Adkins to continue to play guitar.

No longer wanting to work oil rigs, Adkins threw himself into his music after the accident. In the early 1990's he played bars and honkey-tonks in the Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas belt, and in 1994 he headed to Nashville. Adkins met Ronda Farlow, then an executive at Arista Records, who brought numerous music industry friends to Adkins' over the next few years, and one night brought Scott Hendricks of Capitol Records Nashville to a set at Tilly & Lucy's Bar in Mt. Juliet, TN. Hendricks was so impressed by the big cajun that he signed him on the spot.

Adkins would release his debut album Dreamin' Out Loud in 1996 for Capitol Nashville. 7 more studio and 3 greatest hits packages followed, album that would include 14 top-10 singles and 3 number one hits. In 2010 Adkins parted ways with Capitol Records Nashville, signing with Toby Keith's Show Dog-Universal Nashville. Starting with 2010 Cowboy's Back In Town, Adkins has released three albums for Show Dog-Universal Music, with the albums featuring only 2 top-20 hits.

Through injury and break-ups, trials and tribulation, one thing has stayed constant for Adkins, who is back in the studio, working on a new, unnamed project; the second from that project is in our spotlight today. Trace Adkins and "Lit" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.