Rodney Atkins' Arrest, Divorce Filing, at Odds with his Devotion to Family

posted in: Country • Music News

The news of Rodney Atkins arrest for domestic violence”he is accused of trying to smother his wife, Tammy Jo Atkins, with a pillow”likely was just another amusing celebrity-gone-wrong story for many.

But to those of us who have spent time talking with Atkins, it can’t be taken so lightly. Whether Atkins did try to kill his wife or whether the entire story is fabricated”as he claims”is almost beside the point. The real story is how someone who went from a sickly, adopted child to a loving family man and country superstar, could be in such a tragic situation.

“You get so caught up in the grind and then suddenly it just hits you,” Atkins told OurStage of his success soon after the single “Take a Back Road” hit No. 1 this fall. “You just find you’re on your knees, so humble that you are here and you get a chance to do this and it’s unbelievable. I don’t know why I am doing these interviews because I am speechless.”

What also made Atkins speechless was his son Elijah, age 10. Of all the recent reports about what happened last night in the Atkins house, perhaps the most upsetting is that the young boy witnessed his parents’ dispute and will now be subjected to their divorce.

When talking about his success this fall, Atkins choked up when talking about his family. He told a story about his son making him a special Father’s Day card and proudly presenting it to him on stage. Later that night, though, when Elijah realized that a Make a Wish child at the show didn’t have a gift for his own father, he gave the boy the card.

“He is just an amazing kid,” said Atkins, audibly choking up, when talking about his son.

That story led into more about his family and his faith. He talked about developing a makeshift “studio” made out of camping gear to record his 2006 album If You’re Going Through Hell. By doing so, he could record at home and be near his family instead of commuting 100 miles to and from Nashville’s Music Row. “That is the truth and sounds like a crazy country music movie or something,” said Atkins of fashioning the studio out of a tent and air mattresses and recording the hit “What I Love about the South” that features his wife and some of her friends singing the chorus.

When reading the news reports about Atkins, it’s easy to judge. But those that know Atkins are likely hoping that fans and casual readers will remember there’s a real person, a real family, behind those headlines.

“It’s always funny to me when folks are looking at what’s wrong with the picture and not what’s right with it,” he said. “Obviously country music changed my life’s direction. I never dreamed I’d be here now.”