Born on Jan. 27, 1968, in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in tiny Foreman, Ark., Tracy Lawrence drew from a rich musical heritage that included such Southern rockers as Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, as well as country
... Born on Jan. 27, 1968, in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in tiny Foreman, Ark., Tracy Lawrence drew from a rich musical heritage that included such Southern rockers as Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, as well as country traditionalists George Strait and Merle Haggard. He earned his performing stripes by touring the area's bars, honky-tonks and jamborees when barely old enough to drive. Though he recalls the circuit as a "tough road" for a young performer, he says it also taught him some valuable lessons about being an entertainer.
Lawrence landed a recording contract just months after arriving in Nashville. His first album, 1991's Sticks and Stones, catapulted him to the top of the charts, yielding three No. 1 hits (including the title track) and one Top 10 hit. When his debut album went platinum, it set the tone for the rest of his career. Lawrence has had two platinum records and two double-platinum records (1996's Time Marches On and 1993's Alibis. ). Lawrence was named the Academy of Country Music's top new male vocalist in 1993.
Lawrence has devoted much of his energy to develop his writing skill. Encouraged when his self-penned "If the World Had a Front Porch" went to No. 1 in 1994, he wrote songs for each of his subsequent releases. He also opened a music publishing company and began producing other artists' albums in addition to co-producing his own projects.
In 1994, Lawrence fired a handgun during a dispute with some teenagers in Wilson County, Tenn. Charged with reckless endangerment and possession of a firearm, he was placed on probation -- with the charges eventually dismissed for good conduct. Lawrence also was convicted of spousal abuse in January 1998 and received a misdemeanor and a fine. His label, Atlantic Records, suspended him from recording until he got his personal life in order. He later remarried and settled into life as a husband and father.
In 2000, he released Lessons Learned, his first album for the label in more than two years. When Atlantic closed its country division, several of the label's artists -- including Lawrence and John Michael Montgomery -- were transferred to Warner Bros. Records. Lawrence exited Warner Bros. following the release of a self-titled album in 2001.
After leaving Warner Bros., he reunited with James Stroud, who produced Lawrence's early hits before becoming the chief of DreamWorks Records' country division. Stroud signed him to the DreamWorks artist roster in 2003, and purchased an unreleased Warner Bros. album to become Lawrence's first release for the label. That album, Strong, was released in 2004 and included the hit, "Paint Me a Birmingham." He re-recorded his hits in 2005 for his final project on the DreamWorks label.
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