Trace Adkins: Near-Death Stories, Oil Rigs, And 30 Years In Country Music :: Ep 43 Circling the Drain Podcast

Country legend Trace Adkins joins Circling the Drain for a raw, funny, and unfiltered conversation about survival, success, and the scars he picked up along the way.Trace opens up about growing up in small-town Louisiana, singing bass in church, working dangerous oil rigs in the Gulf, getting shot by an ex-wife, flipping a tractor, multiple open-heart surgeries, and why he still prefers hard work on the farm to life on the tour bus. He also talks about his breakout in Nashville, label politics, 30 years in country music, and how acting and voiceover work have kept him relevant.Along the way you’ll hear wild stories featuring Gene Simmons, Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Donald Trump, Blake Shelton, and more – plus why the national anthem still makes him nervous every single time.This is Part 1 of our Trace Adkins series on Circling the Drain.1:56 – Trace walks in like a superstar and why everyone respects him  2:26 – The only “tangible result” of being on stage: applause and then back to the bus  3:03 – Farm life, physical work, and needing something real to show for the day  3:50 – Taking down massive ash trees and chasing a chainsaw voiceover gig  4:30 – Losing a Steel commercial because he didn’t wear gloves  6:09 – 12+ years as the voice of Firestone and other national campaigns  6:42 – KFC, Farmer Boys, and ongoing work with Wounded Warrior Project  7:30 – Five daughters, Lululemon bills, and the idea of Trace voicing an athleisure brand  8:01 – Intimidating the boyfriends: hunting on his land and the “I could bury you here” moment  9:47 – Telling a boyfriend he “wasn’t going to make it” and helping him cut his losses  10:25 – Five daughters, three ex-wives, and being “five times more confused about women”  11:10 – Growing up in church: singing beside his granddad with that rich bass voice  11:40 – Discovering that “chicks dig the bass” in a gospel quartet at 17  12:43 – Hayrides, jamborees, and covering Haggard and Buck Owens  13:20 – Working offshore on a drilling rig and singing in the wheelhouse after 12-hour shifts  14:08 – Winning the Wild Turkey Battle of the Bands and coming to Nashville  15:00 – Club circuits, drugs, booze, and learning “everything you’re not supposed to do”  16:08 – Getting his first guitar at 10 and taking lessons in Spring Hill, Louisiana  16:42 – Why he calls himself a “lazy guitar player” and just plays enough to accompany himself  17:11 – Cutting off a finger and the chords he can’t play anymore  17:40 – The shooting: getting shot by an ex-wife and why he didn’t press charges  18:52 – Bullet through the heart and both lungs, Life Flight, and Vanderbilt saving his life  19:45 – Bleeding on the floor, protecting the new carpet, and passing out in the atrium  21:04 – Being 32, strong, and why that’s the only reason he survived  21:39 – Scars from construction work, broken arms and legs, ribs, and flipped tractors  23:15 – Tractor roll-over, crushed sternum, and calling a neighbor with a backhoe to save him  24:16 – Trauma surgery vs. scheduled open-heart surgery and the pain difference  25:14 – Why he doesn’t write songs about his craziest life events  26:00 – Capitol Records, meeting Scott Hendricks at baggage claim, and getting offered a deal on stage  27:06 – Being a big, striking presence and coming from a tall family  28:21 – Shrinking from 6'6" to 6'5" and feeling it in the joints  28:52 – Label politics after Scott leaves Capitol and refusing to go back into the building  29:29 – Almost throwing an executive out the window and the Patsy Cline “she’s dead” story  31:02 – New leadership, Mike Dungan, and how Tim DuBois helped push Trace’s career forward  32:17 – The Chrome era, bikes, and typecast biker roles in movies  33:00 – Deepwater Horizon, playing a furious parent, and Peter Berg demanding more intensity  35:30 – Manhandling Mark Wahlberg on set and the behind-the-scenes story  35:59 – Meeting Kurt Russell and seeing oilfield authenticity on screen  36:38 – Why that movie got the oilfield details right  37:01 – Taylor Sheridan, Land Man delays, and writers chasing the next “shiny toy”  38:53 – Yellowstone, spinoffs, and the risk of losing momentum between seasons  40:04 – Getting tricked into a faith-based movie (Mom’s Night Out) and only reading his sides  41:23 – Peeing fire as a demon in a field and calling it his greatest scene ever  49:00 – Gene Simmons on Celebrity Apprentice and how he changed the rules of the game  52:01 – Turning hot dogs into $5,000 donations and reshaping the show around charity money  53:07 – The mysterious “go to my room” invitation and the producer’s warning  53:52 – What Trace really thinks of Gene Simmons and his magnetism  54:08 – His take on Donald Trump and how “what you see is what you get”  54:34 – Why the national anthem still makes him nervous, from car lots to the World Series  55:52 – Respecting the anthem, the range of the song, and starting in the basement  56:47 – Land of the Free as the vocal high point and the challenge of the melody  57:16 – Reading music, Nashville number system, and forgetting trombone days  57:58 – Losing music programs in public schools and why that bothers him  58:17 – Country heroes: George Jones, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and more  58:48 – Hillbilly Bone with Blake Shelton and why Blake is always chasing the laugh  59:31 – Wrapping Part 1 and teasing more Trace Adkins stories to come  Follow Johnny B:https://www.facebook.com/john.e.bozemanFollow Jay Harper:https://www.facebook.com/harperjeffFollow Jim:www.jmvos.comCircling The Drain is produced by It's Your Show dot Cowww.itsyourshow.co