 Part of the commercial rise of rock-tinged honky tonk in the early '90s,
Tracy Lawrence was one of the decade's most reliable country hitmakers. Born
in Atlanta, TX, in
1968, he grew up mostly in Foreman, AR, where he soaked up traditional and
outlaw country as well as Southern rock. He started performing in public when he
was 15 and was a regular presence on the local honky tonk circuit by 17. After
college, he moved to Nashville in 1990 and worked day jobs while winning
numerous talent shows. That led to a live radio performance and, in 1991, a
showcase gig that netted him a deal with Atlantic.
In May 1991, just prior to the scheduled release of
Tracy Lawrence's debut album, he was walking a girlfriend back to her hotel room
when the two were mugged by several gun-wielding attackers.
Tracy Lawrence fought back to allow his companion time to escape and was shot four
times; two bullets only grazed him, but one had to be surgically removed from
his knee, and the other remained deeply embedded in his pelvis. Fortunately, he
progressed rapidly through physical therapy, and the album, Sticks and Stones,
was released later in the year when
Tracy Lawrence could return to promotional duties. Its lead single, the title
track, went all the way to number one on the country charts, helped out by all
the publicity. More hits followed in the Top Tens "Runnin' Behind," "Today's
Lonely Fool," and "Somebody Paints the Wall," and
Tracy Lawrence was on his way to stardom. He arrived there with Alibis, the
platinum-selling 1993 follow-up that produced an astounding four chart-topping
singles: the title track, "Can't Break It to My Heart," "My Second Home," and
"If the Good Die Young."
In 1994,
Tracy Lawrence contributed the Top Ten hit "Renegades, Rebels and Rogues" to the
soundtrack of the movie version of Maverick and also released his third album, I
See It Now. "Texas Tornado" became his sixth number one hit, and three more
singles -- the title track, "As Any Fool Can See," and "If the World Had a Front
Porch" -- all went to number two. Somewhat lost in all the success was
Tracy Lawrence's arrest that same year on a weapons charge, but it didn't slow his
career momentum at all. He tossed off the Live and Unplugged set in 1995, which
compiled acoustic tracks and concert performances with his backing band, Little
Elvis. In 1996, he returned with the proper follow-up album Time Marches On. The
title track was a huge hit, topping the country charts, and "If You Love Me,"
"Stars Over Texas," and "Is That a Tear" all went Top Five. His hit streak
continued with 1997's The Coast Is Clear, which contained two more Top Five
singles in the title track and "Better Man, Better Off."
However, all was not well behind the scenes. In January 1998,
Tracy Lawrence was convicted on charges stemming from an incident in which his
wife accused him of hitting and threatening her; the couple soon divorced.
Tracy Lawrence laid low for a while, putting his life back together, and returned
in 2000 with the uneven but highly personal Lessons Learned. The title track was
a Top Five smash, but it was the only major hit from the record, and
Tracy Lawrence soon parted ways with Atlantic. He subsequently signed with Warner
Brothers and debuted for them in 2001 with an album titled simply Tracy
Lawrence. Despite some good reviews, it failed to halt his downward commercial
momentum.
Tracy Lawrence released the studio album Strong in 2004, and a greatest hits set
through Dreamworks Nashville a year later. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
Tracy Lawrence for your next corporate or private event.
|
