Rhett Akins

Rhett Akins Artistfacts

  • October 13, 1969
  • Born in Valdosta, Georgia on October 13, 1969, music was in Rhett Akins' blood from a young age. By 11, he and his brothers were already strumming guitars and forming their first band.
  • Akins played football at the University of Georgia, where he studied business before ditching his textbooks to work for his father's oil and gas company.
  • After bailing on college, the music never left him, and the future hitmaker moved to Nashville in 1992. He kicked off his career with two albums on Decca Records, A Thousand Memories (1995) and Somebody New (1996), both brimming with country twang. Akins then moved to MCA Nashville, releasing What Livin's All About in 1998. He kept the hits coming with Friday Night in Dixie on Audium Entertainment in 2002. Throughout his solo career, Akins racked up 14 singles on the Country chart.
  • In the late 2000s, Akins joined forces with Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip to form the legendary songwriting team The Peach Pickers. Together, they penned hits for some of country music's biggest names, including Blake Shelton's "Boys Round Here," and Luke Bryan's "I Don't Want This Night To End."
  • If the name Akins sounds familiar, there's a reason for that! Rhett is also the proud dad of country music star Thomas Rhett, carrying on the family tradition.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Glen Ballard

Glen BallardSongwriter Interviews

Glen Ballard talks about co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album, and his work with Dave Matthews, Aerosmith and Annie Lennox.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."