Country musician Rhett Akins seemed to come out of nowhere in 1995 when his single "That Ain't My Truck" ran rampant on the airwaves and became a Top Five hit. The first two singles off Akins' 1994 debut, A Thousand Memories, managed to crack the Top 40 but their success paled in comparison to the stir caused by "That Ain't My Truck."Growing up in Georgia, Akins, like many musicians, was fascinated with music from an early age and started his first band when he was just 11 years old. After relocating to Nashville in pursuit of a music career, Akins was signed by Decca Records thanks to a demo he had produced. "That Ain't My Truck" thrust Akins into the limelight and turned A Thousand Memories into a hit record. He parlayed the success of the album into a gig opening for Reba McEntire in 1995.The following year he released his follow-up effort, Somebody New. The record initially sold well but failed to live up to the lofty expectations set forth by its predecessor. His third album, What Livin's All About, charted but signaled that Akins might never return to hit single glory. Akins has released several albums on a number of labels since, as recently as 2006 when People Like Me hit shelves.Though Akins has been unable to recapture the magic that made "That Ain't My Truck" so popular, he has built himself a loyal fan base. He remained humble throughout his instant success, an attitude that has served him well as his career has progressed. Akins claims that he's happy simply to be doing his best and avoided letting the fame early in his career go to his head. Above all, Akins is a country singer through and through. "I just think that after more than 10 years I know who I am and I know what I want to do and I'm not a slicked-up, polished artist," he says. "I wear a hat, T-shirt, boots and ragged blue jeans and I want to sing real songs."