Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Rhett Akins, Jr.
Born	(1990-03-30) March 30, 1990[1] Valdosta, Georgia
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee
Genres	Country country rock R&B[2]
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar drums
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Valory Music Group
Associated acts	Rhett Akins Jason Aldean Brantley Gilbert Justin Moore Bruno Mars
Website	thomasrhett.com

Thomas Rhett Akins, Jr. (born March 30, 1990), better known by his stage name Thomas Rhett, is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the son of American country music singer and songwriter Rhett Akins.^[3] Rhett has released two studio albums for Big Machine Records' Valory Music imprint: It Goes Like This (2013) and Tangled Up (2015). These albums have produced ten singles on the Hot Country and Country Airplay charts, with seven reaching the No. 1 position on the latter: "It Goes Like This", "Get Me Some of That", "Craving You","Make Me Wanna", "Crash and Burn", "Die a Happy Man", "T-Shirt", and "Star of the Show". In addition to much of his own material, Rhett has also written singles for Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, and Florida Georgia Line.

Early life

Growing up, Rhett was used to seeing country idols like Tim McGraw or Brooks & Dunn in his home because his father was famous country singer Rhett Akins.^[4] In junior high, Rhett learned how to play the drums. When he was old enough, he would go onstage with his father and play the drums for him. In high school, he was part of a band named The High Heeled Flip Flops.^[5] Besides music, he did not have a career choice in mind. After high school, Rhett went to college at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee to study communications, mainly because his friends were going to college and he didn't know what else to do.^[6] Rhett's interest in music grew throughout the years and as a result he failed to keep his promise to his mom and dropped out of college when he was 20 to pursue a career in music.^[7] One night while playing at a club, an executive from Big Machine Label Group approached him and offered him a publishing deal to write songs. He accepted and began writing many songs for the company.^[4]

Career

Songwriting

Rhett co-wrote the song "I Ain't Ready to Quit" on Jason Aldean's 2010 album My Kinda Party and signed a recording contract with Big Machine Records' Valory Music Group division in 2011.^[8] The album's first 21 weeks were spent in the top 40 of the Billboard 200; it also has sold 1.7 million in its first years of release.^[9] Rhett also co-wrote the 2013 singles "1994" by Jason Aldean, "Parking Lot Party" by Lee Brice, and "Round Here" by Florida Georgia Line. During the chart week of September 21, 2013, the Country Airplay chart included five songs within the top 10 that Rhett or his father had co-written, including "It Goes Like This".^[10]

Thomas Rhett performing in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 24, 2013

2012–15: It Goes Like This

In early 2012, he released his debut single, "Something to Do with My Hands", followed later that year by "Beer with Jesus". Both of these made top 30 on the Hot Country Songs charts. His third single, "It Goes Like This", topped the Country Airplay chart and also peaked at number 2 on the Hot Country Songs.

His debut album, also titled It Goes Like This, was released on October 29, 2013.^[11] The album's fourth single, "Get Me Some of That", became Rhett's second number 1 single in early 2014. The album's fifth single, "Make Me Wanna", was released to country radio on August 4, 2014. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart on March 7, 2015. In between the two singles, Rhett sang guest vocals along with Justin Moore on Brantley Gilbert's "Small Town Throwdown".

2015–17: Tangled Up

On April 7, 2015, Rhett released a new single titled "Crash and Burn" which served as the lead single to his second studio album. The album, Tangled Up, was released on September 25.^[12] It reached at number one on the Country Airplay chart in September 2015. The album's second single, "Die a Happy Man" released to country radio on September 28, 2015. It reached at number one on the Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs and Canada Country chart in December 2015. and January 2016. It stayed at number one on the Country Airplay chart for 8 weeks, becoming the second song in the chart's history to do so. The album's third single, "T-Shirt" released to country radio on February 16, 2016. It reached at number one on the Country Airplay in June 2016, but received poor critical reviews criticizing it's lyrical content. The album's fourth single, "Vacation" released to country radio on June 13, 2016. The album's fifth single with Deluxe Version, "Star of the Show" released to country radio on October 3, 2016. The album's sixth single with Deluxe Version, "American Spirit" released to country radio on 2017.

2017-present: Life Changes

In March 2017, Rhett revealed the lead single from his third studio album would be "Craving You," a song featuring vocals from Grammy-winner Maren Morris.^[13]

Personal life

Thomas Rhett is married to Lauren Gregory, who he has known since first grade. The couple married on October 12, 2012.^[14] As of February 2017, they announced that they are expecting a child (a girl) together in August and they adopted a baby girl, Willa Gray Akins, on May 12, 2017.^[15][16]

Concert tours

• Own The Night Tour with Lady Antebellum (2012)
• Night Train Tour (Athens, Georgia) with Jason Aldean (2013)
• Anything Goes Tour with Florida Georgia Line (2015)
• Suits & Boots Tour co-headlining with Brett Eldredge (2015)
• We Were Here Tour with Jason Aldean (2016)
• C2C: Country to Country with Miranda Lambert, Dwight Yoakam and Ashley Monroe (2016)
• Six String Circus Tour With Jason Aldean (2016)
• Home Team Tour^[17] Headliner Tour With Guests Kelsea Ballerini, Russell Dickerson, Ryan Hurd, Brett Young, Old Dominion, Dan+Shay, and Walker Hayes (2017)

Discography

• It Goes Like This (2013)
• Tangled Up (2015)
• Life Changes (2017)

Awards and nominations

Television Appearances

References

External links

• Official website
• Thomas Rhett on Facebook
• Thomas Rhett on Twitter