Published: Sept. 8, 2018
Rodney Atkins works at creating country
music to remember
By Nicholas Dettmann
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
WEST BEND — Country music star Rodney Atkins
loves hearing how his songs have affected his fans — years after their release.
“I still get every single show somebody coming
up telling me that’s their song,” Atkins said. “It could be ‘Watching You,’ ‘If
You’re Going Through Hell’ or ‘These Are My People.’ Those songs seem to remain
relevant. That’s part of the goal when making music. That’s more important to
me than even having a hit.” Atkins will headline the inaugural Country Live
Music Festival presented by Hanke Trucking on Sept. 15 at Washington County
Fair Park in the town of Polk. Gates open at 1 p.m. Saddlebrook takes the stage
at 2:30 p.m., followed by Reckless Remedy at 3:45 p.m., Austin Burke at 5:15
p.m., Dylan Schneider at 7 p.m. and Atkins at 9 p.m.
This year, Atkins, the 2006 Academy of Country
Music’s Top New Male Vocalist, released new music for the first time since
early 2015 with “Eat Sleep Love You Repeat” on his “Greatest Hits” album. His
newest song is “Caught Up In The Country.” The song takes a different tone than
what fans are used to from the native of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, with a
slower tempo — it’s almost spoken rather than sung.
“I learned a long time ago when I first started
learning how to sing in a studio, part of learning to sing in a studio is not
yelling at people,” Atkins said. “I sing loud a lot. It was more about
experiences, not yelling at people. It’s about them hearing the lyrics. I think
I’ve just learned ... a lot of times it’s about relaxing, being able to tell
the story inside the song, whatever that story is. I think this felt right to
almost be speaking and that’s how you wind up with a vocal like that.”
Atkins has seen a positive response to “Caught
Up In The Country” on tour. “This song has claps and stomps,” he said. “It’s
very exciting.” Atkins’ debut album was “Honesty” in 2003. His next, “If You’re
Going Through Hell,” was a breakout hit in 2006, reaching No. 1 and certified
platinum. The title track, “Watching You,” “These Are My People” and “Cleaning
This Gun” all went to No. 1. In 2009, “It’s America,” included his fifth No. 1
— “It’s America” — and, in 2011, “Take A Back Road” had his sixth No. 1, the
album’s title track.
“I’m very involved in the record-making
process,” Atkins said. “It just takes that long to assemble songs that are
songs that’ll be out there and be gone ... songs that go No. 1, but people
don’t really remember it a month after it being off the chart. You can’t really
build a career that way.”
Atkins still enjoys performing as he approaches
50, although there was a time when he wondered how he’d get through a set.
“When I started trying to pursue music, I wrote
off the idea of being a singer,” Atkins said. “The first several times I tried
to sing in front of people, I had a glass of water and I couldn’t even get a
drink I was so nervous.
“Somewhere it changed.”
That it did, releasing songs he sings loudly
and proudly and often with 15,000 fans singing along with him word for word.
“My goal is always for us to be singing
together,” Atkins said. “It kind of takes the pressure off me really.”
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