http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06215/710645-42.stm

Trace Adkins is a former oilman, so he knows how to read a schematic. It's easy for him to break down a song into its component parts:
Start with an electric rock 'n' roll groove right out of the 1980s; bottom it out with a big drum sound; sing about the four "Fs" of country: family, fun, faith and flag, and slur those "R" sounds at the hook; and flesh it all out with steel, banjo, mando or fiddle fills.

Trace Adkins has a mechanical degree in petroleum technology from Louisiana Tech.