Editor’s note: Trace Adkins‘ new album, American Man, Greatest Hits Volume II, will be released Dec. 4, but he’s also getting national media attention for his first book, A Personal Stand
Roughneck. In this excerpt, the third chapter of the book, Adkins shares memories of his early days in Louisiana.
I Came Here to Live: Growing Up in Sarepta
I grew up in a town where tough was a cigarette and a souped-up car on a county road. — “I Came Here to Live” (from Dangerous Man)
I grew up in Sarepta, Louisiana. Population 924. Three years ago, they finally replaced the flashing red and yellow light with a brand-new traffic signal at the intersection of Highway 371 and Highway 2. Sarepta is located about forty miles northeast of Shreveport and ten miles south of the Arkansas line. The next-closest town is Springhill, population 5,000, seven miles north up Highway 371 (as a matter of fact, I was born in the hospital there). Sarepta is a “dry” town, so to this day, you still have to drive to Springhill to buy any alcohol.
Geographically and culturally, Louisiana can be cut up into three different slices. The northwest corner of the state is a North Texas-type environment where the economy is based on oil, timber and cattle. Northeast Louisiana is river bottom, a lot like Mississippi and southeastern Arkansas, with lots of farming and agriculture. Southern Louisiana is Cajun-influenced, with cities like New Orleans, New Iberia, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge. (Other Louisiana natives may disagree, but don’t pay any attention to them.)
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Nice Post !
Trace, I listen to your book a personal stand. Thats A big deal for me. I dont Do a lot of reading. But my point is that your book touched me good I love the no bull shit way.
I dont have any of you CD but I bought you book and pay full price for it. Thats a big deal to becuase I been told that I cheap. IaM in the same age group with you and I beaveive a time comes in a man life were he has to draw a line in the dirt and say no more… My wife jumps my ass becuse I cuss to much,It dont make me bad just my three year old starts talking like that and it not good. Thank you for writing your book its meant lot to me. I own and operate RAS mechanical out of the INDY area.I get all work up about all the foreigners open business and they get all the taxes breaks.NOT us American born they try to tax me out business. JERRY RASBERRY
hey everyone i was just looking around for some new trace news and i found this great site…http://www.iheartmusic.com/cc-common/ondemand/music.html?apid=5026. theres a sneak peek of his new music.. everyone should check it out…