Thomas Rhett Biography

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 songwriter Rhett Akins. 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 eight singles on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, with five reaching the No. 1 position on the latter: "It Goes Like This", "Get Me Some of That", "Make Me Wanna", "Crash and Burn", and "Die a Happy Man". 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. 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. A band was then put together in high school called The High Heeled Flip Flops. Besides music, he did not have a career choice in mind. After high school, Rhett went to college at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Rhett"?s love for 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. 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.

Career

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. 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. 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".

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".

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. 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. The album's third single, "T-Shirt" released to country radio on February 16, 2016.

Personal life

Rhett is married to Lauren Gregory, whom he has known since first grade. The couple married on October 12, 2012.

Concert tours

Night Train Tour (Athens, GA) with Jason Aldean (2013)

• Own The Night Tour with Lady Antebellum (2012)
• 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)

Discography

• It Goes Like This (2013)
• Tangled Up (2015)

Awards and nominations

Year	Ceremony	Category	Result
2013	American Country Awards	New Artist of the Year	rowspan="8"
2014	iHeartRadio Music Awards	Country Song of the Year "It Goes Like This"
	CMT Music Awards	Video of the Year "It Goes Like This"
		Breakthrough Video of the Year "It Goes Like This"
	Country Music Association Awards	New Artist of the Year
	American Country Countdown Awards	Breakthrough Artist of the Year
2015	Academy of Country Music Awards	New Artist of the Year
	CMT Music Awards	Collaborative Video of the Year "Small Town Throwdown" (shared with Brantley Gilbert & Justin Moore)
	ASCAP Country Music Awards	Most Performed Songs "Make Me Wanna"	rowspan="2"
	BMI Country Awards	Top 50 Songs "Make Me Wanna"
	Country Music Association Awards	New Artist of the Year