Tennessee-born crooner Rodney Atkins’ bio reads like a country song. He was born in 1969 in Cumberland Gap to a 19-year-old mother who, having hid the pregnancy from her parents, dropped him off at an orphanage so he could be cared for properly. Then not one, but two couples tried to adopt him, only to return him to the orphanage when he fell ill. Eventually he found a home with Allan and Margaret Atkins, who gave him their name and a stable home.

As a teen he attended college at Tennesee Technical University where he fell in with a group of singer-songwriters. Moving to Nashville to pursue a career in music was the logical next move, and in 1996 he signed with Curb Records. But it wasn’t until 2002 that he released his first album, Honesty, because he was unhappy with the material on his self-titled debut. Waiting turned out to be a smart move on Atkins’ part, because several singles off Honesty climbed the country charts, including “Sing Along,” “My Old Man,” “Someone to Share It With” and “Monkey in the Middle.”

Atkins will be performing Friday, July 21 at Warsaw’s Central Park as part of a free country concert benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

According to Country Standard Time, Atkins is “the type of wholesome country musician that you would enjoy hanging out with on a Sunday afternoon with your wife and kids.” Fitting then that the event at Central Park is tailor-made for families. RaeLynn, country prodigy and The Voice finalist will open the show.