Thomas Rhett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thomas Rhett
Rhett in 2021
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Rhett Akins Jr.
Born	(1990-03-30) March 30, 1990 (age 35) Valdosta, Georgia, U.S.
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Valory/Big Machine

Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. (born March 30, 1990) is a popular American country singer and songwriter. He is the oldest son of famous country singer Rhett Akins.

Thomas Rhett has released seven studio albums. These include It Goes Like This (2013), Tangled Up (2015), Life Changes (2017), Center Point Road (2019), Country Again: Side A (2021), Where We Started (2022), and About a Woman (2024). He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. Two of his albums were nominated for Best Country Album.

Many of his songs have become number one hits on the Billboard Country Airplay charts. Some of these include "Die a Happy Man", "T-Shirt", "Craving You", and "Look What God Gave Her".

Besides singing his own songs, Thomas Rhett has also written hit songs for other artists. These include Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, and Florida Georgia Line.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Rhett is the son of country singer-songwriter Rhett Akins, pictured in 2019.

Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. was born in Valdosta, Georgia. His mother is Paige Braswell and his father is Rhett Akins. His father, Rhett Akins, had hit songs in the 1990s. He later became a successful songwriter.

Thomas Rhett grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He knew other famous singers like Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn. He has one younger sister and two younger half-brothers.

He started playing drums in junior high school. Later, he would join his father on stage to play. In high school, he was in a band called The High Heeled Flip Flops. Thomas Rhett went to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He studied communications there. At age 20, he left college to focus on his music career. He then signed a deal to write songs for Big Machine Label Group.

Music Career Highlights

Starting as a Songwriter

Thomas Rhett helped write "I Ain't Ready to Quit" for Jason Aldean's 2010 album. In 2011, he signed a record deal with Valory Music Group. This is a part of Big Machine Records.

He also helped write other popular songs in 2013. These included "1994" by Jason Aldean and "Parking Lot Party" by Lee Brice. He also co-wrote "Round Here" for Florida Georgia Line. In September 2013, five of the top ten songs on the Country Airplay chart were co-written by him or his father.

First Album: It Goes Like This

Thomas Rhett at the 2014 Craven Country Jamboree

In early 2012, Thomas Rhett released his first song, "Something to Do with My Hands". Later that year, he released "Beer with Jesus". Both songs reached the top 30 on the Hot Country Songs charts. His third song, "It Goes Like This", became a number one hit.

His first album, also called It Goes Like This, came out on October 29, 2013. The song "Get Me Some of That" became his second number one hit in 2014. "Make Me Wanna" was released in August 2014. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart in March 2015.

Second Album: Tangled Up

Rhett in 2013

On April 7, 2015, Thomas Rhett released "Crash and Burn". This was the first song from his second album, Tangled Up. The album was released on September 25. "Die a Happy Man" was the second song from the album. It became a huge hit, reaching number one on several charts. It stayed at number one on the Country Airplay chart for eight weeks. This was a very long time for a song to stay at the top.

The album's third song, "T-Shirt", also reached number one in June 2016. Other songs from this album included "Vacation" and "Star of the Show".

Life Changes and Center Point Road

On September 8, 2017, Thomas Rhett released his third album, Life Changes. This album had several number one songs. These included "Craving You" (with Maren Morris), "Unforgettable", and "Marry Me". The song "Life Changes" was released in April 2018. "Sixteen" was also a single from this album.

On March 1, 2019, he released "Look What God Gave Her". This was the first song from his fourth album, Center Point Road. The album came out on May 31. "Remember You Young" was the second song. "Beer Can't Fix" (with Jon Pardi) was the third.

In 2020, Thomas Rhett released "Be a Light". This song featured other stars like Reba McEntire and Keith Urban. All the money from this song went to help people in need. Thomas Rhett won Entertainer of the Year at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards.

Country Again and Where We Started

In March 2021, Thomas Rhett announced he would release two albums. The first part, Country Again: Side A, was released on April 30, 2021. It included the songs "What's Your Country Song" and "Country Again". This album showed Thomas Rhett going back to his country music roots. Six of the songs were co-written by his father, Rhett Akins.

In November 2021, he released "Slow Down Summer". This was the first song from his sixth album, Where We Started, which came out on April 1, 2022. The album's second song, "Half of Me", was released in June 2022. It was a collaboration with Riley Green. "Angels (Don't Always Have Wings)" was released in January 2023. Both "Half of Me" and "Angels" reached number one on the Country Airplay chart. The album also featured songs with Katy Perry and Tyler Hubbard.

On October 21, 2022, Thomas Rhett released a Christmas album called Merry Christmas, Y'all. It had four classic Christmas songs.

On September 29, 2023, he released a greatest hits album called "20 Number Ones". This celebrated "Half of Me" becoming his 20th number one song. The album included a new song, "Mamaw's House", which featured Morgan Wallen.

Recent Music: About a Woman

On May 10, 2024, Thomas Rhett released the song "Beautiful as You". On June 5, 2024, he announced his seventh album, About a Woman. This album was released on August 23, 2024. In September 2024, Thomas Rhett helped host the 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards.

Personal Life

Thomas Rhett married Lauren Akins (née Gregory) on October 12, 2012. In May 2017, they shared that they were expecting a baby. They were also adopting a child from Africa. Soon after, they brought home their first daughter, Willa Gray, from Uganda. She was born on November 1, 2015. Their second daughter, Ada James, was born in August 2017. Their third daughter, Lennon Love, was born on February 10, 2020. Their fourth daughter, Lillie Carolina, was born on November 15, 2021.

Thomas Rhett is a Christian. He has included his faith in his music, like in the song "Beer With Jesus". He has also worked with worship singers such as Chris Tomlin.

Albums

• It Goes Like This (2013)
• Tangled Up (2015)
• Life Changes (2017)
• Center Point Road (2019)
• Country Again: Side A (2021)
• Where We Started (2022)
• About a Woman (2024)

Tours

Headlining Tours

• Home Team Tour (2017)
• Life Changes Tour (2018)
• Very Hot Summer Tour (2019)
• Center Point Road Tour (2020-2021)
• Home Team Tour (2023)

Supporting Tours

• Own the Night Tour with Lady Antebellum (2012)
• Night Train Tour 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)
• Six String Circus Tour with Jason Aldean (2016)

Awards and Nominations

Thomas Rhett has won many awards for his music. Here are some of them:

TV Appearances

Thomas Rhett has also appeared on television shows:

He also sang a duet with Elmo on Sesame Street.

See also

In Spanish: Thomas Rhett para niños