THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 22, 1995 TAG: 9503220026
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
FRANKLY, MY DEAR, Rhett does give a damn.
So does Reba McEntire whose talent agency, Starstruck, is promoting country singer Rhett Akins. Part of the promotion is the unbeatable exposure of using him as an opening act on her show.
That show comes to Hampton Coliseum Saturday, but don't promise God you'll be good for the rest of your life if you get tickets. The Reba McEntire-Tracy Byrd-Rhett Akins concert sold out 30 minutes after they went on sale.
``It's the best 20 minutes anybody can have,'' Akins said of his opening act stint. ``With Reba, we play - average - to about 13,000 people. For a new artist, it's better not to have too much time onstage. People come to see Reba, so I go out, hit 'em hard as I can real quick, leave 'em wanting for more.
``But,'' he added, ``it's hard to entertain 13,000 people who don't know who you are.''
Some of them probably know the 33-year-old singer's chart songs - ``What They're Talkin' About'' and ``I Brake for Brunettes.''
They come from his Decca album, ``A Thousand Memories.'' Nine of its 10 songs were co-penned by Akins. Those two singles are pretty high-energy.
``I'm an uptempo kind of guy,'' Akins said in a phone interview from Tulsa, Okla. ``I don't want to bring people down.''
Akins didn't set out to be a country singer. He played football at the University of Georgia, hoping to make it into the National Football League.
``I wasn't getting any bigger or faster. I was getting closer to guitar and writing,'' said Akins, who often has to explain his first name.
``It had a bit to do with `Gone With the Wind,' '' said Akins, a Civil War buff, ``but my parents had a good friend, Rhett Dawson, who played for the Minnesota Vikings.''
Akins left school and returned home. He drove a truck for his father's company, got married - he and his wife, Paige, have two children - and sang for family and friends.
He remembers listening to the truck radio and thinking, ``I just can't sit here and sing to the radio. I want to be on it.''
Akins sang at his brother-in-law's wedding, receiving so many pats on the back he decided to form his own band, playing everything from George Jones to The Grateful Dead.
But his voice, accent and the lyrics he wrote were country-ish so he trekked to Nashville where a friend helped get him a job as a Starstuck songwriter.
``I ran into Narvel Blackstock (Reba's manager-husband) in the hallways,'' Akins said.
Friendship blossomed, advice was given and within a year, he was offered three record contracts.
``Watching Reba's show every night is a learning experience. She walks out, gives the crowd a look - that's all it takes,'' Akins said. ``Watching her is teaching me to be more confident.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Rhett Akins played football at the University of Georgia.
by CNB