Trace Adkins Wrote This Song To Try To Get a Record Deal in 1996 (And It Worked)

In 1996, Trace Adkins released “There’s A Girl In Texas” as his debut single. Written by Adkins and Vip Vipperman, “There’s A Girl In Texas” is on Dreamin’ Out Loud, Adkins’ first album.

“There’s A Girl In Texas” wasn’t actually inspired by a girl, at least not exactly. Adkins reveals he wrote “There’s A Girl In Texas” to get a record deal. Not surprisingly, it worked.

“In 1992 I moved to Nashville, Tennessee,” Adkins recalls. “I’d been living in Dallas, playing honky-tonks out there in Texas. Fast forward to 1994, and I’m trying to get a record deal with Capitol Records. The guy says, ‘Is there a girl in Texas?’ I said, ‘Hell yeah there’s a girl in Texas. There’s a bunch of girls.’ He said, ‘Write me a song about it.’”

“There’s A Girl In Texas” says, “When I rode out of Dallas / Chasing down a dream / I thought I knew what I was looking for / But the neon nights have blinded me / ‘Til I’m lost in Tennessee / Not sure I know who I am anymore, but / There’s a girl in Texas … That does.”

Trace Adkins’ Success After Releasing “There’s A Girl In Texas”

“There’s A Girl In Texas” reached the Top 20, an impressive feat for a new artist. His next single, “Every Light In The House Is On”, landed in the Top 5. “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing”, the third single from Dreamin’ Out Loud,  became Adkins’ first No. 1 single.

Adkins spent the next 15 years releasing hit after hit at country radio. It’s Adkins who is the voice behind successful singles like “I’m Tryin’”, “Then They Do”, “You’re Gonna Miss This”, “Ladies Love Country Boys”, and more.

In 2011, Adkins had his final Top 40 single, with “Million Dollar View”. 

Adkins has had more success than a lot of artists, but not everything always went his way. He only won one CMA Award, which was for Musical Event of the Year, in 2010, for his “Hillbilly Bone” duet with Blake Shelton. Adkins was nominated for three Grammy Awards, although he never won one. Still, Adkins’ focus on the music is what makes him grateful for all he has accomplished.

“This business moves at its own pace, this industry moves at the speed it’s going to move at, and there’s nothing you can do to change that,” Adkins tells Taste of Country. “You know, the train’s on the track, and it’s going to move as fast as the engineer wants to go, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re pulling or pushing; it doesn’t make any difference. So let things come to you at the rate they’re gonna happen and try to be patient, or you’re gonna drive yourself crazy.”

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