It was a cold Sunday morning in suburban Nashville, January 19, 1994 — a day the country music world would never forget.
In a moment of chaos behind the closed doors of their home, rising country star Trace Adkins was shot in the chest by his second wife, Julie Curtis. The cause: a heated argument over his drinking that escalated into something far more dangerous than words.
According to Adkins’ later interviews, the confrontation had become volatile. In a moment of fury, Julie picked up a .38-caliber handgun and fired. The bullet pierced his lungs, broke ribs, and came within inches of his heart.
“I walked myself to the truck,” Trace recalled years later.
“It was that or die on the kitchen floor.”
Neighbors reported hearing shouting, followed by a single deafening gunshot. Moments later, they saw Adkins, bleeding heavily, stumbling toward his vehicle before collapsing. Paramedics rushed him to the emergency room, where surgeons fought to save his life.
And they did — barely.
Despite the severity of the wound, Adkins survived without long-term physical damage. Even more surprisingly, he chose not to press charges against his wife. The couple divorced soon after the incident, but he stated publicly:
“I didn’t want to see the mother of my children go to jail.”
The incident became a dark turning point in his life — one that forced him to confront his battles with alcoholism, trauma, and personal demons. It would take many years, several relapses, and rehab visits before Adkins found clarity, sobriety, and peace.
But from those ashes, something unexpected rose: music with deeper meaning.
Songs like “Then They Do”, “You’re Gonna Miss This”, and “Just Fishin’” — tender, fatherly, and reflective — hinted at a man who had come dangerously close to losing everything and lived to sing about it.
Today, Trace Adkins stands as more than just a country baritone. He is a survivor. A storyteller shaped by real scars. And a man who knows firsthand that sometimes, the worst pain becomes the sharpest verse.
