Rodney Atkins released his first album, Honesty, in 2003, but his career got started a few years earlier than that. He actually charted his first non-album single, “In a Heartbeat,” in 1997. And ever since that first 1997 single, Atkins has made a career out of writing and performing country songs that celebrate the simple life, hard work and country living.
It’s worked out pretty well for him, too: Since 1997, he’s earned six No. 1 singles. The first, “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows),” came in 2006 — nearly a decade into Atkins’ career.
Atkins’ hit single, 2019’s “Caught Up in the Country,” set the record for the longest run on the country charts. As for his 10 best songs? Scroll on to see if “In a Heartbeat,” “If You’re Going Through Hell,” “Caught Up in the Country” or your other favorites made the cut.