1/14/2009

By GARY DEMUTH

Salina Journal

Country music star Rodney Atkins has to believe it before he can sing it.

He figures if he buys what he's singing, his listeners will too.

"Whether or not I write the song, my goal is to record stuff that I can relate to," he said. "I think I'm a regular guy, and the same things that make me laugh, cry or pound my fist I hope others can relate to as well. Because they know the songs ring true."

Atkins' life could have been a country song: born in east Tennessee, Atkins was put in an orphanage as an infant. He then was placed in two foster homes and returned to the orphanage because the foster parents thought he was too sick to handle.

Atkins' third set of parents was worth the wait. They nurtured Atkins through his illness, and his new stepfather, a gospel singer, introduced Atkins to music.

"I grew up with a lot of music, but country was my first love," Atkins said.

Atkins will be in concert with his band Jan. 24 at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe.

Opening the concert will be popular Salina-based contemporary country band Northcutt.

Atkins' second album, 2006's "If You're Going Through Hell," was a breakout success on the country music charts. The title track spent four weeks on top of the Billboard country singles chart and became the Billboard Most Played Song of 2006.

The second single off the album, "Watching You," written by Atkins about his son Elijah, spent two weeks on both the Billboard and Mediabase charts.

"I think people could see themselves in those songs," Atkins said from his rural Tennessee home.

He was a sick kid

Growing up, Atkins never thought he'd live long enough to listen to much music, much less perform it.

As a baby, he was placed at the Holston Methodist Home for Children in Greenville, Tenn., suffering from a pulmonary-respiratory staff infection that made his chances for survival slim.

After being rejected by two sets of foster parents, a couple named Atkins decided to keep the baby even as his condition continued to worsen.

"Love was thicker than illness, I guess," Atkins said. "It never crossed their minds to take me back."

Atkins, who grew up in Cumberland Gap, Tenn., recovered from his childhood illness and grew stronger. He began playing baseball in high school and learned how to play the acoustic guitar. Sitting on the front porch of his house, he started playing all types of music, from rock anthems to country ballads.

"I liked George Jones, the Allman Brothers, even Bon Jovi, whatever kind of music made you want to tap your foot," he said.

Started writing songs

Atkins started writing songs while still in high school, mostly for himself. He never dreamed he'd one day become a professional musician.

"I thought the music thing was too farfetched for me," he said. "It seemed impossible, so I just played music because I loved it."

After graduating high school, Atkins attended Tennessee Tech in Cookeville as a psychology major. On weekends and holidays he traveled to Nashville, where he started playing at local clubs.

It wasn't long before word spread in the Nashville community about Atkins' songs and his powerful, emotional voice. Mike Curb of Curb Records signed Atkins to his label and produced Atkins' first album, 2003's "Honesty."

While the title track was a minor hit on the country charts, Atkins said "the album didn't do very well. I didn't know if I'd get another shot."

Before recording his second album, Atkins, now married with a son and two stepdaughters, moved to a house 80 miles outside of Nashville and built a home studio there.

"I decided to record an album without having to punch a time clock, to let it come naturally," he said. "And I could stay at home with my family while I was doing it."

After the success of "If You're Going to Hell," recording a follow-up was challenging. But after three years of writing and recording new songs, Atkins is readying his new album for a March release.

Titled "Simple Things," the album already has produced a hit single, "It's America."

Releasing a new album also means going on another concert tour. Atkins and his band are on the road about 130 days a year.

Even though he misses his family, Atkins said he enjoys performing in front of audiences and strives to give them a memorable concert experience.

"I'm big on not wasting people's time," he said. "They'll get their money's worth. They can bring kids and family and sing along and have a good time."

Excited to be opening

Rob Northcutt, singer/songwriter of Northcutt, is excited to be opening for Atkins at the Stiefel Theatre. In 2007, the band opened for country singer Craig Morgan at the Stiefel.

Northcutt said Stiefel Theatre executive director Jane Gates invited his band to open for Atkins because of their strong local following.

"Jane believes we can bring a certain number of people to the Stiefel," he said. "We're a quality band with good original material, and we'll have new songs to perform. It's our first show of 2009, so it'll be a nice start to the year."

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by e-mail at gdemuth@salina.com.

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