Tracy Lawrence is the latest recipient of a big career accolade. The 56-year-old was just inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, along with the Mandrell Sisters and Roy Orbison.

Lawrence was inducted by Linda Davis, who became a member of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

“I’m so honored. For those who don’t know, I was born in Atlanta, Texas,” Lawrence said during his induction ceremony. “I appreciate your graciousness and hospitality of everybody here in Carthage. It’s been such a great day for us.”

In a video celebrating Lawrence’s accomplishment, the “Paint Me A Birmingham” singer reflected on the monumental achievement.

“I think it’s beautiful. They did a really good job. I had collected a few things,” Lawrence said of the induction, showing off some of the items on display, including a guitar he played in a talent show as a child. “I remember that talent show. My baby sister, she beat me.”

Lawrence, whose latest Out Here In It EP was released in June, has sold more than 13 million albums since his debut Sticks and Stones record was released in 1991. Fortunately, Lawrence still has a lot more music he wants to make.

“It’s not really a job, it’s a lifestyle,” Lawrence maintains. “I love it. I still love it as much as I ever did.”

Lawrence is considered one of the biggest country music stars of the last few decades, but he wasn’t always sure he would be a success story. After releasing six albums on Atlantic Records, Lawrence tried to replicate his success on other record labels, before realizing he would be better off releasing music on his own.

 

“I spent ten years on Atlantic, and then a little time on Warner Brothers, went to DreamWorks, had a couple of huge hits over there, and then DreamWorks got bought out by Universal,” Lawrence recalled on his TL’s Road House podcast (via Music Mayhem), while speaking to Jelly Roll. “I got bounced over there, had a really awful relationship there. It was nasty. Didn’t like the label head at all, and coming off that, you feel like your career is done. Because I had been used to having hit records on the radio.”

In recent years, the tunesmith chose to release projects as an independent artist, including his three-part Hindsight 2020 series, finding both personal and professional satisfaction in making his mark in country music on his own terms.

“Over the last several years, I’ve found that your career can continue to blossom if you stay engaged and stay in touch with your fan base,” Lawrence shared. “And with all these new tools that we have, you don’t have to disconnect from all that.”

Other inductees into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame include Buddy Holly, Kenny Rogers, Clint Black, Tracy Byrd, The Oak Ridge Boys’ Duane Allen and more.

Find all of Lawrence’s music and tour dates at TracyLawrence.com.

Photo Credit: Sean O’Halloran