A little help from his friend
By Casey Gillis on Mar. 09, 2010
(434) 385-5525
Rodney Atkins is a man of few words.
Take, for instance, a recent e-mail Q&A we conducted with the country music singer, who will be performing in Lynchburg with Phil Vassar on Thursday to raise money for the Miller Home of Lynchburg.
His answers were short, sweet and to the point.
Maybe Atkins prefers to talk through his music, which he began playing as a high schooler growing up in East Tennessee.
He got more serious about it in college, when he began making regular trips to Nashville to write, perform and learn the business. Those trips led to a deal with Curb Records and the release of his first album, 2003’s “Honesty,” which included the Top 5 hit “Honesty (Write Me a List).”
Atkins was back on the charts three years later with “If You’re Going Through Hell,” an album that spawned four number one hits: the title track, as well as “These Are My People,” “Cleaning This Gun” and “Watching You.”
“I’m so thankful for the success of that album,” he said. “It really gave me a career launch.”
“Cleaning This Gun” and “Watching You” were inspired by his family, which includes wife of 10 years, Tammy Jo, their son, Elijah, and Tammy Jo’s two teenage daughters.
The first song is about the fear a father can instill into his daughter’s potential suitors (sample lyric: “Y’all run along and have some fun/I’ll see you when you get back, bet I’ll be up all night/Still cleanin’ this gun”), while the second is about a son learning things, both good and bad, from his father.
“It’s amazing to look out at a crowd and have them sing along with those songs that are so personal to me,” Atkins said. “I love it.”
He said his kids enjoy those song shout-outs and aren’t afraid to offer up feedback.
“My kids are my biggest critics. Constructively of course,” he said. “My family is my life.”
His latest album, “It’s America,” came out last year.
It was inspired by “the simple things in life,” he said. “The things that matter most.”
Atkins agreed to perform with Vassar here after the Lynchburg native did a benefit with him for a children’s home in Tennessee. Atkins, who was adopted as an infant, is particularly passionate about children’s issues and does a lot of work with the National Council for Adoption.
“Rodney’s my bud,” Vassar said during a December interview with The News & Advance. “He and I do things like this for each other. It’s our way of helping each other out and giving back at the same time.”
If You’re Going
WHAT: Phil Vassar & Friends, featuring Rodney Atkins
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
WHERE: E.C. Glass High School
TICKETS: $35. They can be purchased at the Miller Home (2134 Westerly Drive) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
INFO: (434) 845-0241
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